Corey Givens, Jr. announces candidacy for City Council, District 6

ST. PETERSBURG – This past Monday, community activist Corey Givens, Jr. officially filed to run for St. Petersburg City Council, District 6.  Currently represented by Councilman Karl Nurse, who is term limited, the district encompasses most of downtown St. Petersburg and southeast portions of the city.

Givens was joined by family and close friends at City Hall to file his paperwork.

“My friends, family and members of my church have encouraged me to continue my service on city council,” Givens, Jr. said. “We face challenges as a city, but I know when we work together we’ll solve them together.  That’s what I’ve been doing in my community and that’s what I’ll continue to do on city council.”

Givens, Jr. is active in numerous community groups and organizations including the City Beautiful Commission, the Police Athletic League, Lakewood Elementary, where he serves on the PTA and as a mentor, the St. Petersburg NAACP, the Citizens Advisory Council, Lakewood Terrace Neighborhood Association, his fraternity and church.

“My family taught me about service to community and giving back,” Givens, Jr. said of his community involvement. “Those values are reinforced every day by my faith and my church.”

This is Givens, Jr. second run for office.  In 2012 he ran for Pinellas County School board on a platform of preparing south St. Petersburg’s youth for the jobs of the future.  That campaign was marred when it was revealed that he had embellished his education.

“It was a stupid and misguided mistake and one I regret still,” he said. “But I learned from it and it drove me to get even more involved in my community.  Everyone makes mistakes, but it’s how you rebound from those mistakes that define you as a leader.  I apologized to those who put their faith in me and I’ve worked hard to successfully rebuild that trust with my supporters and the community.”

If elected, the St. Pete native would be the youngest councilmember in St. Petersburg’s history.

For more information about Givens, Jr. and his candidacy, visit www.CoreyGivens.com.