St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch visited John Hopkins for the Great American Teach-In to speak about his role in city leadership. He also gave scholars advice on planning for the future.
The mayor said his role is to oversee the people who keep our city running, such as firefighters and police officers. He also oversees projects like the affordable housing building on Fourth Street N. The mayor said St. Petersburg has a yearly budget of $1.1 billion.
Mayor Welch said the city is working on repairing Tropicana Field under an agreement that has been in place for more than 25 years. The agreement says that the city has a responsibility to repair any damage to the building.
When speaking about the recent hurricanes, the mayor said, “We need to focus more on infrastructure, climate change, and what that’s going to mean for the city of St. Pete and for these students.”
Mayor Welch shared a little about his childhood, too. He attended Melrose Elementary year before it was desegregated, and he took music classes at Sixteenth Street Middle, which would later become JHop. The school’s solar panels sit on what once was his grandparents’ property.
At the end of his talk, the mayor gave scholars some piece advice.
“What you learn at JHop or anywhere in our school system can really help propel you through life,” he said. “If you’ve got a plan, if you prepare, if you perform, you can do anything you want.”
