Mike Smith has a passion for politics. The 30-year-old first ran for a Florida Senate seat in 2004 when he was still in college. He admits he got his “butt whooped” by Leslie Waters, but the experience fed the Pinellas County native's desire to serve his community. Now he's eyeing Seat One on the Largo City Commission Nov. 8.
“It was a learning experience and I'm running on a new voice and a new approach,” said Smith, who has been with his partner for just over a year. “A lot of people seem focused on that and they don't care that I'm gay.”
Smith said that he has had only one negative experience with a Largo resident regarding sexuality. That 80-plus year old man, Smith said, threw a clipboard back at him when he learned he was in a same-sex relationship.
“The other concerns I hear are people worried about me pushing some sort of gay agenda,” Smith said. “I just explain that I'm running to improve the city and that I want what's best for this community.”
Smith was born in Largo and became politically active at 14, when he worked on several local campaigns. The former St. Petersburg College student body president later went on to serve a term on the Largo Historic Preservation and Advisory Committee, which was an appointed position.
“Like with most cities, Largo's biggest issue is its budget,” said Smith, who is a senior library assistant at the Pinellas Park Library. “I think right now people think you have to cut left and right. But I'm a big supporter of public safety and I think you have to take care of that because it branches out into so many areas. If we have fewer firefighters or police, insurance rates go up and crime goes up”¦and that leads to other issues.”
It may be no surprise that the Largo Professional Firefighters have endorsed Smith, as have Equality Florida, The Victory Fund, Pinellas County School Board member Linda Lerner and State Representative Janet Long.
“I think having a new fresh look at the budget and going at it with a scalpel rather than an ax is important,” Smith said.
Both St. Petersburg city councilman Steve Kornell and Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner have backed Smith's campaign with financial contributions.
Smith said that raising money and name recognition is the most challenging aspect of his campaign to defeat incumbent Mary Black. But he says his young age and his enthusiasm seems to have influenced a lot of voters.
The City of Largo that existed in 2004, when then City Manager Steve Stanton revealed his plans to undergo gender reassignment surgery brought out anti-gay and anti-transgender residents by the hundreds and resulted in Stanton's firing, has evolved for 2011, Smith believes.
“People have moved past that,” Smith said. “People don't seem to care that I'm gay and they just ask about the issues.”
Smith will participate in a “Meet the Candidates” forum on Tuesday, Oct. 11, presented by the Central Pinellas Chamber of Commerce. The luncheon will be at the Palms of Largo and begins at 11:45 a.m.
His race against Black is the only race on the ballot this year, since Seat 2 Commissioner Robert Murray wasn't challenged.
“I feel like I can work better with Murray,” Smith said, when asked about why he chose to challenge Black rather than Murray. “He's more receptive to ideas than Commissioner Black is.”
For more information on Smith and his campaign, visit SmithForLargo.com.
