Your guide to St. Pete's crowded City Council elections

Two St. Petersburg City Council seats are up for vote in Tuesday's primary election.

Why it matters: Council members decide how to spend your city tax dollars and shape policy for issues closest to home, including housing, hurricane response, and major development projects, like the St. Pete Pier and Tampa Bay Rays' stadium .

• City Council elections are nonpartisan. The two candidates with the most votes in each race will advance to the November general election.

Here's a rundown of where the candidates stand and how they differ, per their websites and the Tampa Bay Times voter guide .

District 3

Currently held by term-limited Ed Montanari, it includes northeast St. Pete, including Snell Isle, Shore Acres and Placido Bayou. All candidates said they want to build up infrastructure to mitigate flooding.

Pete Boland, owner of downtown restaurants The Galley, The Ship's Hold and Mary Margaret's Olde Irish Tavern

• He wants to reduce barriers to the construction of new homes and small apartments, known as alternative dwelling units (ADUs), to up housing supply as a solution to the city's affordability crisis.
• Boland supports the Rays' stadium deal with a few caveats.

Nick Carey, a community organizer

• Rather than relying on private developers, Carey wants to see city-owned, mixed-income " social housing ."
• He doesn't support the Rays deal and is against taxpayer money going toward professional sports.

Mike Harting, CEO of 3 Daughters Brewing

• Harting wants to overhaul the city's building permit process, sell extra city land to build workforce housing and look into public-private partnerships to lower costs.
• He generally supports the stadium deal.

Juan Lopez, a sales executive at the Tampa Convention Center

• To lower housing costs, Lopez wants to increase density along transit routes, convert underutilized buildings, expand ADUs and limit property tax increases.
• He supports the stadium and Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment but with stronger terms around affordable housing and community benefits.

Barry Rubin, president and CEO of the Treasure Island Madeira Beach Chamber of Commerce

• Rubin also wants to increase housing supply through ADUs and incentives for developers.
• He also wants to see more mixed-use development and transportation options.
• He is in favor of the stadium deal.

District 7

Six candidates are competing for District 7, which covers the Childs Park and Bayview neighborhoods. Incumbent John Muhammad isn't seeking a second term.

Donald Bowens Jr., youth sports coach and former hospital operations director

• Bowens wants to expand apprenticeship programs to create more high-paying jobs and provide mortgage assistance throughout the city.
• He supports keeping the Rays in St. Pete but not at such a high cost to taxpayers.
• The Times reported he's never voted in Pinellas County.

Eritha Cainion, communications director for the Uhuru Movement, an African socialist group

• Cainion wants to ban further construction of high-rise condos and to see the land that once made up the Historic Gas Plant District returned to the Black community.

Treva Davis, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital Board of Trustees member

• Expanding affordable housing, attracting high-paying jobs and incentivizing small businesses to open in District 7 neighborhoods are among her priorities.
• She said in June she'd support "any decision" the Council made regarding the Rays deal and would work to ensure her district's residents benefit.

Corey Givens Jr., Baptist minister and graduate student

• Givens' ideas around affordability include renovating old buildings, increasing ADUs and establishing a housing trust fund.

Wengay "Newt" Newton, former District 7 City Council member and Florida House representative

• Newton wants to bring more high-paying jobs to St. Pete and partner with organizations like Habitat for Humanity to expand affordable housing options.
• Newton said he would have done more due diligence on the Rays deal.

Dan Soronen, commercial real estate agent and entrepreneur

• He wants to funnel more money toward youth sports, summer job programs and keeping city pools open every day in the summer.
• He doesn't support the Rays deal and believes the city deserves better affordable housing terms.