"I couldn’t afford a house in my district."

When a City Council legislative aide job was posted April 1, 73 candidates applied. Some had master’s degrees in public administration, double bachelor’s degrees, majors in political science and public policy, 4.0 grade-point averages, military experience, work in cities and state legislatures.

Yet only two candidates were interviewed: An internal candidate and J.C. Pritchett III, a 21-year-old recent University of South Florida public policy graduate.

Pritchett III sent in his application on April 4, but wasn’t hired until Aug. 15, the same day his father, Rev. J.C. Pritchett II, began working on the Citizens Redistricting Commission as former council member Lisa Wheeler-Bowman’s appointee to redraw City Council district boundaries.

Former mayoral candidate Vince Nowicki publicly accused Wheeler-Bowman of not living within the boundaries of District 7 seat she represents, as required by the city’s charter, at a council meeting Sept. 15. Nowicki alleged that Pritchett II helped redraw the District 7 lines to include a home Wheeler-Bowman recently purchased home outside the district.

Read more at the Tampa Bay Times