Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 7-13-18

Local
Businessman To Seek City Council District 5 Seat
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
A Tampa businessman, Ralph Smith, has an- nounced his plans to seek the City Council District 5 Seat. The Seat is currently occu- pied by Councilman Frank Reddick, who must vacate it because of term lim- its.
The District 5 area of City Council represents down- town, Palmetto Beach, Tampa Heights, parts of West Tampa and East Tampa up to Busch Blvd.
Smith’s platform in- cludes, “bolstering economic development; fostering en- trepreneurial energy; reduc- ing crime and creating equitable and diverse neigh- borhoods throughout the district.”
Smith plans to host his campaign kickoff at the Trio Apartments Community Room, 1101 Ray Charles Boulevard, on Thursday, July 19 from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
He said, “For the past two decades, I have partnered with business, social and civic leaders in order to pro- vide the next generation with the skills they need to transi- tion into adulthood. Now, I would like to serve in a dif- ferent capacity by doing the hard work to solve the chal- lenges and vulnerabilities facing the communities in District 5.”
A native of Michigan, Smith moved to Miami as a programmer for Financial Federal Savings & Loans in 1981. After a few years, he
joined Citibank as a Senior Programmer Analyst.
He was transferred to Or- lando in 1987, and then to Tampa in 1993, where he achieved the level of Assis- tant Vice President.
In 1997, Smith founded Computer Mentors to im- prove computer literacy among East Tampa students by putting computers in their homes. That mission was ac- complished, with Computer Mentors giving away more than 700 computers.
Over the years, the non- profit - which celebrated its 20th year in 2017 - expanded its focus to include teaching students to code, obtaining industry standard certifica- tion like Microsoft MOUS and MTA certifications.
In addition to serving as Executive Director of Com- puter Mentors, Smith is an avid volunteer and active member of the Tampa Bay community.
The father of two adult children, Smith worships at First Baptist Church of Col- lege Hill.
RALPH SMITH
March For Our Lives Bus Tour To Visit Tampa
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
On Saturday, at 6 p.m., members of March For Our Lives will visit the Univer- sity of South Florida. The purpose of the visit is to reg- ister young people to vote. The ultimate goal of the or- ganization is to reduce gun violence.
On February 14, 2018, a gunman killed 17 students and teachers at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, FL. It was one of the deadliest school shootings in the his- tory of the United States.
Within days of the mas- sacre, students Jaclyn Corin, Emma Gonzalez, David Hogg, Cameron
Kasky, and Alex Wind began organizing to stop gun violence. Their move- ment has spread through- out the country.
As a result of their ef- forts, March For Our Lives, Road to Change, came into existence.
On March 24th, a series of coordinated marches took place. They were aimed at lawmakers and de- signed to pressure them into finding a solution to gun violence.
In addition to the events taking place in Florida, an- other tour kicked off on June 15th in Chicago. That tour will visit more than 50 locations in 20 states.
The Bus Tour in Florida will visit St. Petersburg on
July 12th; Orlando on July
13th; Tampa, on July 14th;
and Daytona Beach on July 15th.
The Bus Tours will re- sume on July 28th in Talla- hassee; Pensacola on July 29th; Panama City on July 30th; Jacksonville on July 31st; and will culminate in Gainesville, on August 1st.
According to the organi- zation’s website, “The goals of the tour is to 1) register young people to vote and 2) educate them about candi- dates who refuse to stand up to the NRA.”
To find out about the events happening near you, make sure to visit the web- site at https://march- forourlives.com.
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 13, 2018