Tuesday marked the 401st day of Terri Balliet’s campaign for District 6’s City Council seat, making it the longest-running campaign among the candidates seeking the position. Since launching her campaign, Balliet’s team has knocked on more than 4,000 doors, planted 300 yard signs, held 100 meetings and calls, hosted eight fundraising events and raised more than $51,000.
Balliet’s efforts appear to be paying off. She first received an endorsement from former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. Now two more notable names have joined her corner: Sen. Darryl Rouson and Thompson Whitney Blake, founder and CEO of Blake Investment Partners, the private equity firm competing to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District (Blake’s proposal is known as The Burg Bid).
“Terri Balliet understands that St. Pete’s success depends on affordable housing, thriving small businesses, and strong neighborhoods. She’s a proven leader who brings people together, delivers results, and will be a powerful advocate for our families and our local economy,” said Blake.
During Balliet’s Tuesday campaign event, Rouson explained why he ultimately decided to endorse Balliet. “When Terri called me for my support, I told her I had to think about it overnight, and I took a couple of weeks, but I called her back and told her I would, because of the kind of CEO she has been,” Rouson said.
He continued, “It’s been since Steve Kornell that we’ve had a councilmember so steeped in the youth, in the lives of children. She would be a great addition to that, a great warrior for this community.”
Balliet serves as CEO of Children’s Network, an organization responsible for overseeing nearly 2,000 children who have experienced abuse, neglect and, in some cases, human trafficking. She manages a budget exceeding $120 million, more than 300 employees and roughly 500 foster parents.
“That position has allowed for me to work in a very, very complex system of care,” Balliet said. “My position as CEO of Children’s Network has prepped me and prepared me to step into City Council on day one,” she added. “Those priorities haven’t changed.”
“Our young people fire me up,” Balliet added, pointing toward workforce development, mentorship, mental health, substance abuse services and keeping families intact as priorities she would bring to City Hall that would benefit the youth.
Balliet’s career has crossed several sectors that frequently intersect with local government. Before leading Children’s Network, she served as Chief Operating Officer of Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services. In that role, she worked closely with St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway and Gulf Coast Leadership to launch the Community Assistance and Life Liaison (CALL) program.
The program emerged in 2021 amid nationwide calls for policing reform, following the death of George Floyd. Its mission was to respond to nonviolent emergency calls involving mental health crises, substance abuse, behavioral issues, homelessness, truancy and neighborhood disputes using licensed social worker rather than traditional law enforcement responses alone.
The success of St. Petersburg’s CALL program later inspired similar programs in other Florida cities.
District 6 is one of the most influential seats on the St. Petersburg City Council because it includes downtown, the Historic Gas Plant District, Tropicana Field and several of the city’s fastest-growing economic centers. The district sits at the center of major decisions involving redevelopment, housing, transportation and business growth.
As a result, the District 6 council seat carries significance far beyond its boundaries. The person elected will help shape some of St. Petersburg’s largest projects and policy debates, giving the position a powerful voice in determining how the city grows, invests and balances development with community needs.
Balliet’s endorsement list reflects many of the sectors she will work with if she secures the District 6 seat. She has received support from elected officials, business leaders, developers and social service advocates.
Denise Young, whose strategic business development firm Young BD Group has partnered with Blake on The Burg Bid, described Balliet’s candidacy this way:
“Terri meets the moment of the importance of the next turn St. Pete takes. She’s been on the stump for over a year. This is an important district, and District 6 demands someone like Terri who takes it seriously.”
Kriseman echoed a similar distinction about Balliet’s character: “There’s a lot of reason people get into being elected officials,” he said. “Some of them do it because they think it will give them power; some of them do it because they think they will make money off it; and some of them do it for the reason that Terri is doing it, which is for service.”
Content produced in partnership with the Balliet campaign.