Copley Gerdes wins St. Petersburg District 1 City Council race

ST. PETERSBURG — Financial adviser Copley Gerdes, 38, defeated consultant Bobbie Shay Lee, 49, in the race for St. Petersburg’s District 1 City Council seat.

The Tampa Bay Times called the race at 9:40 p.m. with Gerdes leading with roughly 53 percent of the vote, with all precincts reporting.

“I’m happy that all the work and the effort that the entire team put in came out in an outcome that we’re all very happy and proud of,” he said.

Gerdes said he was honored to have run alongside a diverse slate of candidates: “I think the city is shining tonight because of the people that raised their hand that wanted to serve.”

Lee said she wished her opponent the best and was proud of her campaign team.

“We left everything on the table,” she said. “We have absolutely no regrets.”

Gerdes will replace Robert Blackmon, who resigned his council seat to run for mayor. He will serve out Blackmon’s term until 2023, at which point he will be able to seek reelection.

Gerdes, who works for Northwestern Mutual, campaigned on a platform of development and sustainability. He said he wants to help local businesses in his district, noting the traffic between the beaches and downtown St. Petersburg.

His father, Charlie Gerdes, previously served two terms representing District 1.

A former nonprofit executive and breast cancer survivor, Lee developed a platform focused on public safety by increasing police funding and investing in social services. Lee said she first got involved in the race by advocating for the restoration and reopening of the St. Petersburg Science Center, which has been at the center of city debates.

Both candidates said they wanted to focus on affordable housing, keep the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg and replace the city’s aging stormwater and sewer infrastructure. Both Gerdes and Lee are first-time political candidates who grew up in St. Petersburg.

Gerdes was endorsed by Mayor Rick Kriseman, Pinellas County Commissioner Charlie Justice, as well as four current City Council members. As of Friday, his campaign had raised $88,845.

Lee received endorsements from state Reps. Chris Latvala and Linda Chaney, and Pinellas County Commissioner Kathleen Peters. Her campaign had raised $74,285 by Friday.

District 1 covers much of west St. Petersburg, its upper boundary running along 40th Avenue North and its lower boundary marked by the Gulfport city line.