Ken Welch Statement on Passage of the Community Benefits Agreement
“It’s great to see St. Pete City Council support this reinvestment back into our community,” said Ken Welch.
“The community benefits agreement is an important step towards equitable economic development and smart growth for our entire community. Intentional equity requires us to demand that our partners who receive taxpayer dollars be held to a higher standard in the development and redevelopment of our great city”. “Affordable housing, improvements to our schools, and more resilient infrastructure all depend on this type of partnership”.
“I’m proud that Councilmembers Lisa Wheeler-Bowman, Amy Foster and Deborah Figgs-Sanders have championed this agreement. I look forward to continuing the momentum and working with the entire Council next year as the next Mayor of St. Petersburg!”
When council stalled the approval of the CBA agreement in March of this year, Ken Welch stated his strong support for a citywide CBA process, and urged council approval, stating – “I share the community’s enthusiasm for adopting a citywide Community Benefit Agreement (CBA) model.The historic economic and social inequities ingrained in our city’s history were not limited to the Gas Plant area – neither should a CBA model that aims to support equitable progress for our community.”
