'Lens' Ballot Title, Question Approved by Council

The words "Lens" and "new pier" will appear on the title to the ballot question to stop the "Lens" pier design on Aug. 27 primary. They will not appear on the ballot question itself. 

Council approved the ballot title and question after a unanimous vote.

The title to the "Lens" pier question will read: "An ordinance terminating the Michael Maltzan new pier design agreement based on the 'Lens' concept."

Previously there was contention between the Stop the Lens group and the city as to whether the ballot title should mention the "Lens" because the Stop the Lens proposed ordinance to have the city cancel its contract with Michael Maltzan Architecture did not mention the "Lens" by name. 

"Since we are going to put it on the ballot, I think we have a moral obligation to call it what everybody knows it as " council member Charlie Gerdes said. 

Thursday's decision to put the future of the "Lens" design up for a public vote Aug. 27 came after an about-face by the longtime supporter of the "Lens", the St. Petersburg Chamber. 

The Chamber, along with support from Mayor Bill Foster, asked council Thursday to cancel the Maltzan contract and not have a public vote in order to star a new pier selection process immediately. 

Gerdes made a motion to recommend the Chamber's proposal but his motion died of lack of support. 

Council member Leslie Curran said the recent abysmal poll numbers of the "Lens" does not mean the city should just cancel the Maltzan contract and not have a public vote. 

"Polls are also showing that the mayor is losing," Curran said. "If we cancel the contract with the Maltzan group, should the mayor withdraw from the race (too)?"    

Curran was suggesting the move by the Chamber and Foster to endorse canceling the contract before the August vote was not about the "Lens" at all, but the race for mayor. 

"The issue of the day is not the lens, it’s the upcoming mayor election," Curran said. "If this issue is taken out of that election process, perhaps the election results will go in a different way then it seems that it is going right now."

Foster seemed surprised that all of the Stop the Lens members that spoke at Thursday's meeting did not want the city to cancel the Maltzan contract before August because that is exactly what their petition asked for. 

"Tonight council, if they wanted to, could literally hand victory to those wearing red shirts and yet there wasn’t (one that spoke) that want to cancel the contract," Foster said. "They wanted to vote."

On Aug. 27, the voters of St. Petersburg will now get that vote. 

The question that will appear on the Aug. 27 primary is: 

Shall an ordinance be added to the city of St. Petersburg's existing ordinance that would require the city to send a notice of termination, within five business days of the effective date of the ordinance, to Michael Maltzan Architecture, Inc. to terminate the existing architect/engineering agreement between the city of St. Petersburg and Michael Maltzan Architecture which agreement was approved by city council?