 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Youthful enthusiasm sparked runs for officeBy BRIAN ORLOFF© St. Petersburg Times published October 14, 2002 Richard Langton and Dan Krassner want to redefine the term "politician." The two young candidates contribute a youthful idealism to Florida politics. Despite losing in the Republican primary for the state House District 51 seat, Krassner, 22, still feels hopeful.
Both candidates' involvement proves that political activism often can lead to the most active form of involvement -- actually running for office. "I really enjoyed the run for office. I think it's a great thing to do -- especially for young people," Krassner said after the primary. "I wish more young people would get involved, even though it's sometimes premature. But you learn a lot along the trail." Both candidates say their political interests were piqued early, especially in school. "I held up a Bush/Quayle sign in class, during the '88 race. That's the first time that I expressed any sort of political views whatsoever," said Langton, who attributes his political interests to his uncle, who worked for Ted Kennedy when he made a bid for president. Krassner's family also is politically involved. His grandfather, Lee Benjamin, was chairman of the Pinellas County School Board. "I gave my first political speech as a 10-year-old, introducing my granddad at an event, and continued to do that on the trail with him," Krassner said. "He has always been my hero; he's the one [whom] I'd like to emulate. He's definitely not a politician; he served in the schools as a public servant." Often the word "politician" is used as a pejorative term, conjuring images of stodgy, greedy businessmen. But Langton and Krassner felt that their campaigns shattered such stereotypes. Langton's advice: be pro-active; check out the political scene yourself. "Young people are usually full of energy; they're looking to go out and score the touchdown right away, or hit the home run right away, and politics is almost the complete opposite," he said. "But I think that if they can see how it works and realize that it takes patience, that will kind of get rid of some of that cynicism that's out there." Krassner agreed, saying, "You can be in this nasty business and do it the right way," referring to his grandfather, and his own political plans. Krassner also suggested that politically minded teens become involved in student government or school politics. Teens need not feel disenfranchised, either. "You don't have to vote to affect a lot of change," Langton said. "There's nothing saying that someone under the age of 18 can't start a referendum to get something on the ballot. And there's nothing saying that they can't walk door to door." "I think it's the perfect time to serve," Krassner said of his bid for office. "It's good to go do some public service and give back to your community right away; start building the community that you want to reside in for the rest of your life." Krassner and Langton both said they want to share the experience with young people. Langton occasionally substitutes in public schools, while Krassner's mother is a school principal. "It's important -- win or lose -- if you are a candidate and you do have ideas that aren't being discussed, to put them into the arena," said Krassner, reflecting on his campaign. "I still believe in everything I said and what we worked for. I think we got a lot of good dialogue into the political spectrum." Although they are only in their 20s, Langton and Krassner feel their age was an asset in the election. "It's our turn to step up to the plate and bat," Langton said. About the author
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
Brian Orloff, 17, has been published in the St. Petersburg Times since he joined the X-Team at age 10, writing for Xpress, Sunday Arts and Weekend. Brian graduated from Palm Harbor University High School International Baccalaureate program and is a freshman at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., studying journalism and possibly history or literature. Writing this series about politics, he says, made him realize that politicians are a lot like rock stars; they're often controversial and escorted by an entourage. Brian says that being interested in politics helps him be a more informed citizen.
