Kenneth City council to pick peer

Five people want to take the place of the Coast Guard member who had to leave.

By ANNE LINDBERG, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 1, 2002

KENNETH CITY -- Less than two months ago, the town's voters chose who they wanted to serve on the Town Council. Tonight, it's the council's turn.

Five people -- a former incumbent, two community activists and two newcomers -- have applied for the open seat on the council. Ted Wiesner, the leading vote-getter who served only a month, resigned because Coast Guard regulations prohibit personnel on active service from holding elective office.

Under Kenneth City rules, a council vacancy is filled by having members select from among applicants for the job. Tonight's special meeting is at 7:30 in the Community Hall, 4600 58th St. N. The meeting is open to the public.

The applicants are:

Billy Joe DeBusk

Debusk could not be reached for comment, but he is a regular contributor at council meetings and workshops. DeBusk made news last month when he blamed Mayor Bill Smith for the disharmony on the council, saying the mayor frequently insulted town employees, council members and residents behind their backs.

DeBusk is an engineer at Sun Microstamping in Clearwater. On his application, he said he relished the challenge of serving on the council.

Russell Scott Dumont

Dumont declined to comment for this story. He is the one applicant with council experience, having been appointed once before. However, he has never been able to win a seat in an open election. In the March race, he came in third among the four candidates.

With that background, many, including Wiesner, have said they think he will be the council's pick.

"He's run for office here three or four times and the voters of this town have not chosen him once and he'll serve basically a full term as a councilman," Wiesner said last month. "I think we're going to wind up with someone the voters did not choose here and I don't think it's going to necessarily be to the electors' liking in town."

Dumont has said in the past that he is happy with the status quo and wants to concentrate on annexation and squaring off the town's borders.

He has served on the town's safety committee and the planning and zoning board, and is currently head of the board of adjustment. He also headed up the Make Kenneth City Safer Committee, a group that campaigned to abolish the Police Department in favor of the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office. He has said he worked with that group because town police officers had told him they wanted to go with the Sheriff's Office.

Jayne Anne Hester

Hester is a political newcomer who said she wants to make Kenneth City better. She touts her age, 43, saying Wiesner's election indicates that residents want younger, newer blood on the council.

"The council needs to stop fighting, and (council member) Teresa (Zemaitis) is the only one that I personally have seen accomplish anything," Hester said. "The park is one of the best things that's ever happened to the city."

Hester says she wants to support Zemaitis and that the rest of the council is "harassing" her. Hester was referring to the sniping between Zemaitis and Al Carrier.

Hester is a former member of the Kenneth City Homeowners Association and said she does not plan to run for re-election in two years.

Dolores Urso

Urso is also a familiar face at council meetings. This is the second time she has applied to fill a council opening. She was rejected in favor of Dumont.

Urso's goal is to make improvements to the town and to "be positive, not negative like they are."

She is a former president of the Homeowners Association and volunteered for bingo nights.

Muriel Whitman

Whitman is a former candidate for Town Council who also attends most meetings and workshops.

"There's a lot of things I'd like to see happen here," Whitman said, citing beautification, increased activities for children, and repair of the town's sewer lines.

"I'd like to work with the council and see if we can't get a little more harmony," she said.

Whitman has lived in Kenneth City since 1956 and "watched the town grow." She is active in the Homeowners Association, was vice president of the Kenneth City Women's Club, and has been a member of the planning and zoning board for six years.

THE JOB

The Kenneth City Town Council is a nonpartisan body of four members and the mayor who oversee the town government. Each member has charge of a department. They meet as a group at least twice a month, once in a regular meeting and once in a workshop. Council members earn $300 a month. Kenneth City has a population of about 4,500.

CANDIDATES FOR KENNETH CITY COUNCIL

The Town Council is expected to appoint a person tonight to complete the two-year term of Ted Wiesner, who resigned a month after being elected. Here are the five candidates with some biographical information.

Billy Joe DeBusk

AGE: 41

OCCUPATION: engineer

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: DeBusk attends most council meetings and workshops and frequently comments on issues.

Russell Scott Dumont

AGE: 66

OCCUPATION: retired

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE: Served on the council from June 2000 to March 2001, when he was appointed to take the place of Chuck Webber, who left to work for Pinellas Park.

Jayne Anne Hester

AGE: 43

OCCUPATION: secretary for Awana youth group at Northside Baptist Church

IN HER WORDS: "I will do what I can to make the city better."

Dolores Ann Urso

AGE: 65

OCCUPATION: retired

IN HER WORDS: "I'd be a good asset to the city."

Muriel Holmelin Whitman

AGE: 75

OCCUPATION: retired

IN HER WORDS: "I'd like to work with the council and see if we can get a little more harmony."

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