New City Council Member Appointed To Fill Open Seat In St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — After hearing from six applicants at its Oct. 13 meeting, the St. Petersburg City Council selected John Malone, who goes by Brother John Muhammad, to serve as the next District 7 council member, according to a city news release.

He fills a seat left vacant when Lisa Wheeler-Bowman resigned in mid-September after being accused of no longer living in the district.

Muhammad was selected to serve the remainder of her term, which was set to end in January 2024, in a 4-3 vote.

His swearing-in ceremony will take place Thursday at 9 a.m. in City Council Chambers, the city said.

The seat came down to Muhammad and former state representative and two-term city council member Wengay Newton, according to Newsradio WFLA.

According to his bio on the One Community St. Pete website, Muhammad is president of the Childs Park Neighborhood Association, lead organizer/convener for the New Deal for St. Pete, co-founder and executive director of the Community Development & Training Center, and Tampa Bay regional lead of the Service Employees International Union in Florida.

For some, he is a controversial choice. Several current councilors expressed concern about Muhammad’s support of Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader considered an extreme antisemite by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Florida Politics reported.

Ahead of the council’s vote, the Florida Holocaust Museum issued a statement, saying, “John Muhammad’s continued support of one of America’s most outspoken antisemites, Louis Farrakhan, should do more than alarm the entire St. Pete community; it should disqualify him from public office.”

Council Chair Gina Driscoll, who didn’t vote for him, said, according to WFLA, “It is a dangerous path when we start to look the other way at alignments that hurt people.”

Th candidate denied any allegations of discriminating against any groups, reports said.

“I deny any allegation that I am an antisemite or anti-LGBTQ and I’m encouraged by the fact that many of those in the Jewish community and other communities have been able to see through this coordinated attack and attempt to further divide us,” Muhammad said.

Council members Richie Floyd, Brandi Gabbard, Deborah Figgs-Sander and Copley Gerdes voted in favor of appointing him.

“I took Brother John at his word that he believes in an inclusive city and that his viewpoint is one of love for all,” Gerdes said, according to reports. “I expect him, over the next 14 months, to show that and if he doesn’t, then you know the voters will decide in November.”