Ford, Foster square off in St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - It's been a marathon of a race and both Kathleen Ford and Bill Foster are ready for a breather.  But not until the final ballots are cast for mayor on Tuesday.

"I'm ready for the job," said St. Pete mayoral candidate Bill Foster, "it's the application process that stinks."

Foster will square off against another former City Councilmember, Kathleen Ford, next week in the general election.  After eight years in office, current mayor Rick Baker will be term-limited out.

Ford and Foster have appeared at upwards of 50 forums and debates around the city this year, agreeing on many issues.  But 10 Connects wanted to address a few final issues that have floated under the radar a bit.

Foster agreed to a final interview, but Ford - despite numerous offers to accommodate her schedule - declined.

Foster said one major difference between the two would be how the handle the city's healthy reserve funds.  With $286 million stashed away, many residents think the city should dip into the funds to balance the budget in this unprecidented budget crisis.

Ford has suggested using $8 million of the reserves in 2010 to keep property taxes low.   But Foster disagreed.

"All the rules are thrown out when you live in an area prone to natural disaster," he said, pointing to New Orleans' struggles after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.  "I saw what can happen to a city when you rely on Washington or your state capital. We have to be self-reliant."

Foster also think he'll handle the Tampa Bay Rays better.  With the ABC Coalition expected to hint that the team needs to play closer to Hillsborough County for long-term success, Ford has said renegotiating their current use agreement would be in the hands of the city council.  Foster wants to be chief negotiator himself.

"I will sit down with the Rays, as I will with any business, any partner - and we'll talk about it," Foster said.  "We'll do it in the open, and we'll let the people ultimately decide."

One thing the two both seem to be on the same page with is social networking.  Foster - who has a seldom-used Facebook page - said a mayor didn't need to get involved with Facebook or Twitter.  Ford, who also has a seldom-used page, hasn't updated the Twitter account she created since May.

Nearly 20,000 St. Pete residents (8% of registered voters) have already cast their ballots by mail.  The rest of them can go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 3.