Ken Welch, the former Pinellas county commissioner and the son of the first Black man elected to St. Petersburg City Council, will face City Council member Robert Blackmon in the Nov. 2 general election to decide the city’s next mayor.
Welch declared victory 11 minutes after polls closed. If elected, he would become the city’s first Black mayor.
“I’m not sure what I’m feeling yet,” Welch said on his way to a private victory party at Painting with a Twist on Central Avenue. “It’s still sinking in.”
Welch said he would continue his message of inclusive progress. “I think our voters are really focused on the issues and not the petty politics that became part of this election,” he said.
