Palatka’s voters will have two choices for the Group 1 seat on the City Commission in November: Annie Henderson Davis, a project management professional, and Allegra Kitchens, a former city commissioner.
The winner will replace Commissioner Tammie McCaskill Valentine, 53, who is not running for reelection. The two-term incumbent filed to run last year, but withdrew from the race on Feb. 9, according to the Putnam County Supervisor of Elections.
Another candidate, Vito Russo, qualified by petition but withdrew on June 3, just a week before the qualifying period. Russo, 63, did not respond to calls, texts or email. He donated to Kitchens’ campaign in September.
That leaves Henderson Davis and Kitchens on the ballot. Here’s what voters should know about each candidate before heading to the polls.
Annie Henderson Davis
A Palatka native, Henderson Davis lived in Suwanee, Georgia, for most of her adult life before returning to her hometown last year. She filed to run on March 20 and qualified by petition, according to the supervisor of elections office.
Henderson Davis has been a healthcare project management professional for over 30 years, according to her campaign website. She has been on the board of several community and civic organizations in both cities. Currently, she serves on the Palatka Charter Review Committee.
Henderson Davis, 62, did not respond to calls, texts or email for comment. She has raised $6,730 and spent $4,393 as of Oct. 15.
“Palatka is positioned to be a vibrant, small-town community we can proudly call home,” her website says. “I aim to understand our past, assess where we are today, and connect our commUNITY for manageable and sustainable growth.”
Henderson Davis’ website lists four of her main issue areas: improving citizens’ quality of life, enhancing public safety, creating meaningful public-private partnerships to strengthen the local economy, and allocating public dollars to support essential services.
Highlighted initiatives include developing affordable housing projects that meet different income level needs, maintaining a well-trained and responsive police force, supporting small business development programs, and promoting efficiency in city government operations.
Allegra Kitchens
Kitchens, 77, was a city commissioner from 2006 to 2015. A lifelong resident, she worked at the Putnam County Property Appraiser’s Office for 36 years prior to being elected, and served on numerous civic volunteer boards. Kitchens is endorsed by the Professional Firefighters of Palatka Local 2992.
“I had not intended to run for office again,” Kitchens said, having supported McCaskill Valentine and then Russo until their respective withdrawals from the race. When she considered running in early June, it was too late to qualify by petition, but Kitchens said a friend helped her pay the qualifying fee to become a candidate.
“I got the money kind of dropped into my lap, and I kind of thought it was a sign from God that He intended for me to run,” she said. “I wasn’t going to look a gift horse or God in the mouth, so to speak.” Kitchens filed to run on June 7.
One of Kitchens’ priorities is retaining city employees, who she said are leaving because of “a toxic workplace in the city of Palatka.” Kitchens is looking forward to helping select the next city manager who can help to solve the issue.
“I need to make sure as a commissioner,” she said, “that any city manager that we have, number one, he or she has to treat the employees well.”
She also wants to make road projects in the city more efficient and transparent. Kitchens cited the ongoing years-long work on St. John’s Avenue as an example of poor planning and use of funds. She said she would push for all necessary construction to be done simultaneously instead of in stages that extend the project timeline and disrupt transportation.
Kitchens has raised $4,795 for her campaign and spent $2,210.
Public safety is another focus for Kitchens, particularly in keeping the police department fully staffed. She said police officers are training in Palatka but choosing to work elsewhere, and she believes this is a result of low pay and conflict with city government.
“I would like to see us be able to get some patrol officers back to handle traffic situations,” Kitchens said. “We need to make sure they have everything that they need to run well, because if they don’t do well, the rest of the city can’t do well.”
Group 3
The two candidates running for the Group 3 seat — Elizabeth van Rensburg and Will Jones — did not respond to WUFT's request for an interview this fall.
Jones has raised $2,212 and spent $1,866 so far in his campaign. van Rensburg has raised $7,347 and spent $5,216.
