So far, so good, with St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. He’s supportive of regionalism, which includes mass transit as well as trade missions. He’s said enough in private to Stu Sternberg to defuse ill will with the Rays. And he’s made his most important hire by following a key leadership maxim: don’t settle.
He would have, had he decided to go with one of the four police chief finalists recommended by a headhunter. Instead he ate the fees and went with his gut–as well as trusted counsel–to bring in Tony Holloway, a 52-year-old African-American who has been the well-regarded police chief of Clearwater for the last four years.
By all accounts, Holloway is progressive and accessible and is all about building bridges–both to the community and within the department, which has been morale-challenged. Among his first priorities: taking on racial tension within the department and in the community. It’s been festering too long.
Another priority: reversing a spike in the St. Petersburg crime rate. It went up 5.1 percent in 2013, a notable exception in Pinellas County.
Kriseman is to be complimented for not settling. This is not Chuck Harmon, the sequel.
Only one obvious downside. Holloway’s a tough act to follow in Clearwater.