With a month before the mayoral election in St. Petersburg, mayoral candidate Rick Kriseman has laid out his "Plan for a Better St. Petersburg."
Kriseman unveiled his platform at press conference Wednesday morning in the Historic Kenwood neighborhood.
"In the mayor's office, we need some new energy, new ideas and a new vision that will save tax money and create more jobs," Kriseman said.
His ideas to save money include the implementation of a program called "StPeteStat."
"I will meet with department heads to examine and analyze past performance, future performance objectives, and overall performance strategies," Kriseman said. "Performance goals will be set, managers and workers will be held accountable and results will be measured - not yearly, but monthly or even week-to-week."
Kriseman estimates the program would save the city millions of dollars.
Another way Kriseman wants to save the city money is by becoming more energy efficient.
"In the near term, that means resolving negotiations with Duke Energy to switch out 30,000 of our street light bulbs to LED in order to save approximately $1.8 million," Kriseman said.
When it comes to policing, Kriseman said, he would return to a community-policing model as mayor. He also want to end the controversial chase policy within the St. Petersburg Police Department.
"Nothing I do as mayor will be more important than keeping our residents and visitors safe," Kriseman said.
However, there are two things not mentioned in his plan: The Rays and the Pier.
The Rays are interested in looking at stadium sites in Tampa but are locked into downtown St. Pete's Tropicana Field until 2027.
Also, the future of the pier remains uncertain as city voters rejected the Lens design in August.
Kriseman, the 51-year-old old former state representative, faces current Mayor Bill Foster on November 5.