Clearwater Mayor-Elect George Cretekos, left, poses with retiring Mayor Frank Hibbard after being congratulated on his win on election night.
CLEARWATER – At least 220 people crowded into a private room at Island Way Grill on election night Jan. 31 to support long-time Clearwater City Councilman George Cretekos and wait for election results to roll in.
Winning nearly 71 percent of the vote, Cretekos was named the mayor elect around 8 p.m. He won 12,134 votes out of a total of 17,152, which was a 25.5 percent voter turnout.
Cretekos said that he felt overwhelmed and thankful to voters. Even though many believed he would easily win, Cretekos did not think there were guarantees and was nervous as he waited for results to come in.
“I was nervous because I just didn’t know what was going to happen,” Cretekos said after the race was called in his favor. “And to get 70 percent of the vote, it just overwhelms me. I know I had a lot of support, but to have it verified is just amazing.”
His humble manor and thankfulness also resounded in his acceptance speech at the party at Island Way Grill.
“Many months ago, when we started this campaign, people started calling me mayor even then,” Cretekos said. “And I told them that we say in Greek, prota o theos and your support, which translated means, ‘With God’s help and with yours.’ Tonight I stand here before you to thank God and to thank you, because your support has made this possible. Without you, I would not be standing here as mayor-elect. And I just don’t have the words to express how we feel tonight. There are people from Tarpon who are here and go back 40, 50 years and it’s hard to imagine that a boy from Tarpon Springs would grow up to be mayor of Clearwater.”
Cretekos said that he has some big shoes to fill, but he promises that he will do his best.
Cretekos was an aide to U.S. Congressman C.W. Bill Young, R-Indian Shores for a number of years, and in 2007, Cretekos joined the Clearwater City Council to complete a councilman’s term who moved out of state. Cretekos was re-elected without opposition in 2008 and has been on the council ever since.
Cretekos was born and raised in Tarpon Springs, graduated from Davidson College with a political science degree and later earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Pittsburgh.
His dream for Clearwater as mayor is to continue to build on what the former mayors have done and to ensure the city remains the same great place that they all call home, he said. However, he does have plans to make it even better.
“The main thing is to try to broaden our tax base and give our residents some more economic opportunities,” Cretekos said.
Former Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst, who served from 1999 to 2005 offered his congratulations to Cretekos at the election party.
“George will call and he will ask questions, and that is what I love about him,” Aungst said. “Former Mayor Hibbard and I have formed the unofficial former mayors’ council and we will be available to discuss things with (Cretekos) and everyone else. But it has been a great evening for the City of Clearwater. You have elected a great public official.”
Outgoing Mayor Frank Hibbard also made an appearance to thank citizens for the privilege of serving as mayor and to congratulate Cretekos on his win.
“It is a great evening. I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to serve this great city, and I know that when you do pass the baton, that the previous mayor is concerned,” Hibbard said. “I’m sure that Brian was concerned about me. I know that Rita (Garvey) was concerned about Brian. But I am excited that George Cretekos is taking that baton. We know that he is going to be successful because he has already been a leader and shown us that. We know that he is passionate about the city of Clearwater, and that is a critical ingredient for success.”
Hibbard said he is glad Cretekos is the new mayor because he is confident Cretekos will continue to lead the city to success.
“I think he’s the right man for the job,” Hibbard said. “I think he already has a proven track record of success. Certainly he doesn’t need training wheels. He’s going to hit the ground running, and I think that’s critically important. Even through this recession we have had success. The beach is doing great. But you don’t want to lose that momentum, and he won’t let that happen.”
Looking at areas of concern for the city, Hibbard said that budgets will continue to be a problem, although he feels good that the city has just had a big pension resolution, which will save the city about $400 million, which will help with the budget. He said that the city also will have to continue to attract new businesses and try to diversify the economy. While tourism is important, the city has seen that communities are much more vulnerable if they are almost solely reliant on tourism to support their economy. Hibbard added that the city also needs to continue to improve its housing stock, encouraging people to reinvest in their neighborhoods.
Hibbard said that he has mixed feelings about leaving office. He is excited to spend more time with his family and working on his business, but it is also sad to walk away from such a position.
“I love the people, and I will miss the interaction that you have on a daily basis,” Hibbard said.
Reflecting on his time as mayor, Hibbard said he is glad that the city was able to wrap up all the pension issues except for the fire department, which is about to go to a vote. Therefore the new council will not have to deal with these issues until they come up again in 2015. This can be a very consuming task, he said, so he feels good about having a resolution.
Carolyn, Cretekos’s wife was ecstatic for her husband’s win, and she said she feels good about what he will offer to Clearwater.
“George is a true public service,” Carolyn said. “He listens. Most people, if they don’t agree with him, they know he’s looking after the city. And I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
Running against Cretekos was Christine Marketos-Cuomo, who took about 29 percent of the vote. She was born in Massachusetts but has lived in Clearwater for 10 years. She earned degrees in paralegal studies and criminal justice from Fisher College in Boston.
Clearwater also had several charter amendments on the ballot. Amendment 1 failed, with just over 55 percent of the electorate voting “no.” This question read, “Shall 7.02 of the City Charter be amended as provided in Ordinance No. 8296-11 to require the appointment of a Charter Review Advisory Committee every six years instead of every five years?”
Charter Amendment 2 also failed, with 72 percent of people voting no. This question read, “Shall Section 2.03 of the City Charter be amended as provided in Ordinance No. 8297-11 to extend term limits for the mayor and city council members from two terms to three terms effective with the election of Jan. 31, 2012?”
Amendment 2 overwhelmingly passed, with more than 85 percent of voters choosing yes. This question read, “Shall Section 2.01(c)3. of the City Charter be amended as provided in Ordinance No. 8298-11 to require the publication of a notice of availability of the annual city audit?”
There were also two candidates running unopposed for vacant city council seats. Doreen Hock DiPolito, 45, now fills Seat 2 that Councilman John Doran vacated due to term limits. She is owner and president of D-Mar General Contracting Development, which her family started in 1972. She has served on many boards and committees and is active in the Woman on the Way Program. The other new face to the council is Jay Polglaze, 54, who has taken Seat 3 that Cretekos vacated to run for mayor. Polglaze grew up in Pinellas County and has lived in Clearwater for 32 years and has served on many boards and committees.
Background information contributed by Lester R. Dailey.
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