Darden Rice

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Darden Rice

Nonpartisan

Prior offices

St. Petersburg City Council District 4

Successor: Lisset Hanewicz

* * *

Report an officeholder change

Elections and appointments

Last election

August 24, 2021

Education

Bachelor's

Eckerd College

Personal

Profession

City council member

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Darden Rice was a member of the St. Petersburg City Council in Florida, representing District 4. She assumed office in 2014. She left office on January 6, 2022.

Rice ran for election for Mayor of St. Petersburg in Florida. She lost in the primary on August 24, 2021.

Rice completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. Click here to read the survey answers.

## Contents

* 1 Biography
* 2 Elections
* 2.1 2021
* 2.1.1 Endorsements
* 2.2 2017
* 3 Campaign themes
* 3.1 2021
* 4 See also
* 5 External links
* 6 Footnotes

## Biography[edit]

Darden Rice's professional experience includes serving on the St. Petersburg City Council. She was first elected to the council in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017. She also worked for the Sierra Club, as the Florida director for the Gulf Restoration Network (now Healthy Gulf), and as the health care policy director for Progress Florida. Rice has been affiliated with Forward Pinellas, Tampa Bay Water, the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority, and the League of Women Voters for the St. Petersburg Area.[1]

## Elections[edit]

### 2021[edit]

See also: Mayoral election in St. Petersburg, Florida (2021)

General election

##### General election for Mayor of St. Petersburg

Kenneth Welch defeated Robert G. Blackmon in the general election for Mayor of St. Petersburg on November 2, 2021.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan)  |

60.5

| 40,579

| Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan)  |

39.5

| 26,509

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 67,088

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary election

##### Nonpartisan primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg

The following candidates ran in the primary for Mayor of St. Petersburg on August 24, 2021.

Candidate

Votes

|
|
|

✔ |

| Kenneth Welch (Nonpartisan)  |

39.4

| 21,827
✔ |

| Robert G. Blackmon (Nonpartisan)  |

28.3

| 15,659

| Darden Rice (Nonpartisan) |

16.6

| 9,189

| Wengay Newton (Nonpartisan)  |

7.5

| 4,128

| Peter Boland (Nonpartisan)  |

6.2

| 3,424

| Michael Ingram (Nonpartisan)  |

0.8

| 460

| Marcile Powers (Nonpartisan)  |

0.7

| 404

| Torry Nelson (Nonpartisan)  |

0.4

| 212

| Michael Levinson (Nonpartisan) (Write-in)  |

0.0

| 9
|  | Other/Write-in votes |

0.2

| 88

* * *

There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source

| Total votes: 55,400

|
|

= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.

Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

#### Endorsements[edit]

To view Rice's endorsements in the 2021 election, please click here.

### 2017[edit]

See also: Municipal elections in St. Petersburg, Florida (2017)

The city of St. Petersburg, Florida, held elections for mayor and city council on November 7, 2017. A primary took place on August 29, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was June 23, 2017. Four of eight council seats were up for election.

Incumbent Darden Rice defeated Jerick Johnston in the general election for District 4 on the St. Petersburg City Council.[2]

St. Petersburg City Council, District 4 General Election, 2017

Candidate | Vote % | Votes
Darden Rice Incumbent | 72.58% | 41,426
Jerick Johnston | 27.42% | 15,648
Total Votes | 57,074
Source: Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, "Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017

## Campaign themes[edit]

### 2021[edit]

#### Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Darden Rice completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2021. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Rice's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Darden Rice, and I’m running for Mayor of St. Petersburg. I’m currently finishing my second term as St. Petersburg’s City Councilmember for District 4. Petersburg. I’ve fought for working people my entire life, and during my time on City Council, I’ve been a leader in solving local issues and driving progress in our community by championing policies such as such as the Wage Theft Prevention Program, curbside recycling, campaign finance reform, affordable housing, smart growth, equity, and more.

Before I was elected to City Council, I was the first openly LGBTQ person to run for office in Pinellas County in 2005. I also served as the President of the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area, worked for Sierra Club, and was the Health Care Policy Director for Progress Florida.

In my free time, I enjoy gardening, cheering on the Tampa Bay Rowdies, and taking advantage of all the amazing things St. Pete has to offer.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

* I’m running for Mayor of St. Petersburg because we need bold, new ideas to address our most pressing needs.
* I have been serving on St. Petersburg City Council for the past seven years, and will be ready to hit the ground running on day one of my term.
* As Mayor, I will make sure that St. Petersburg is a city that truly works for everyone.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about equity, protecting our environment, and affordability.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

I have always strongly believed that the core responsibilities of someone who is elected to be Mayor are to listen to the people you represent and serve them with integrity, transparency, empathy, competence, and diligence.

What legacy would you like to leave?

As a strong believer in racial and climate justice, I want to leave a city more equitable and beneficial for all residents, as well as one well poised to take on the environmental challenges before us.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

I was in 10th grade in 1986 when the Challenger Spacecraft exploded. I still clearly remember that cold morning. As I walked into my first period English class, it was immediately clear something horrible happened. My teacher wrote the words “Death Be Not Proud” on the board, underlined them dramatically, and then turned around to show the tears brimming in her eyes to the class. It was a tragic, yet powerful lesson about both the risk many have taken to push us forward as a society and the profound impact a teacher can have on one’s life, especially in times of tragedy.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was at Hardee’s Pharmacy, a corner drug store in my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina where I worked for three years in high school.

What is your favorite book? Why?

My favorite book would have to be “A Walk in the Woods” by Bill Bryson. It’s both hilarious and informative with a very strong environmental message. My brother hikes the Appalachian Trail, and I still harbor a dream to hike part of it with him someday. Thus, I can relate somewhat to the author’s middle-aged, not-quite-in-hiking-shape attempt to get started on the journey of a lifetime.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, and there is nothing more terrifying than hearing those words from your doctor. However, with the support of my family, my friends, and my medical team, I survived and am in complete remission. I am proud to call myself a cancer survivor and so grateful to everyone who helped me through, and I now try to give back by raising awareness about breast cancer and the importance of regular screenings in my community.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

## See also[edit]

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## External links[edit]

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## Footnotes[edit]

1. ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 4, 2021
2. ↑ Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections, "Unofficial Results," accessed November 7, 2017

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