On a brand-new Hunkering Down, Peter Schorsch chats with Ken Welch, the former Pinellas County Commissioner and current leading candidate for St. Petersburg Mayor.

Topics include:

— Getting things done for Pinellas County; no corruption, no fiscal issues. Making trains run on time.

— The success of the county’s pandemic response; working together with business (in a non-partisan way) for a quicker, responsible economic recovery.

— Emphasizing COVID-19 education and civil (not criminal) compliance measures.

— The beauty of South St. Pete; could gentrification be on the horizon?

— Driving nearly 1,000 Uber trips for “Project Connect,” listening to a broad cross-section of citizens.

— Addressing key issues: workforce needs (especially service industry), housing, growth, and being a Mayor “during prosperity.”

— Appointing a good city administrator; dealing with the Tampa Bay Rays.

— Talking to colleagues, former Mayors and getting endorsements in the race.

— What’s it like to grow up a Black man in St. Petersburg.

— Music, race, and “are things getting better?”

Special Guest: Ken Welch.