Mayor talks about mass transit

One of Rick Kriseman's campaign promises was supporting expanded mass transit for St. Petersburg and the region. Since his term coincides with the Greenlight Pinellas campaign, he has expressed nothing but support for the measure.

With about five months to go before Pinellas County voters decide whether to approve a 1-cent sales tax to pay for light rail and expanded bus service, how much has Kriseman done to tout the measure? He certainly talks about it enough.

While the city can only inform and not advocate, Kriseman has been sure to mention it in speeches. In his Jan. 2 inaugural speech, he mentioned he and his transition team "have been engaged in the necessary conversation about restructuring the bus system,  adopting light rail, and even reconfiguring our tax system to pay for the way we travel in this region."

He also makes mention of it in a recurring stump speech his office says he last gave on May 30.

The mayor's communications director, Benjamin Kirby, also highlighted that one of Kriseman's first hires was Deputy Mayor Kanika Tomalin. She was co-chairwoman of the Greenlight Pinellas Business Committee, which studied the workability of the mass transit plan.

Kirby also said Kriseman and Tomalin are the driving force behind including and updating information on Greenlight Pinellas on the city's website. Kriseman also is the city's representative for the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority, which supports the initiative.

Kriseman has voiced his support of the project, and there's plenty of time for him to do more before voters decide. We rate this promise In The Works.