Incumbent Sen. Richard Mitchell and Republican challenger Nancy Argenziano present a contrast for voters in sprawling District 3, which touches 13 counties from the Georgia border to Citrus and Marion counties.

Mitchell, a soft-spoken former Navy pilot from Jasper, is completing a quiet first term. In six years in the House, meanwhile, Argenziano has locked horns with GOP leaders and lobbyists for the telecommunications, pharmaceutical and nursing home industries. She earned national headlines when she sent a 25-pound bag of dried cow manure to a particularly caustic lobbyist.

The choice, then, is between a minority party member who makes few waves and has a short list of legislative accomplishments, and a rebellious Republican who is not afraid to confront the Tallahassee power structure as an advocate for her constituents.

Does Argenziano's temperament hinder her ability to work with legislators? Former House Speaker Tom Feeney booted her from two committees after they tangled, but the fights speak to her priorities. One measure she opposed would have cut programs for Alzheimer's care and prescription drugs for the elderly to give money for citrus trees and new law schools. The other dealt with her efforts to improve nursing home care.

Argenziano points to other legislation as evidence of her effectiveness: easier access for seniors to generic prescription drugs; helping to kill a bill that would have doubled local telephone rates; blocking bottlers from tapping into springs before the state set a standard for how much can be taken.

Argenziano voted for the governor's A+ Education Plan but said there is room for improvement. Also, while she is opposed to a services tax, she strongly backs efforts to review the myriad sales tax exemptions.

As a Democrat in a GOP-controlled Senate, Mitchell has had a harder time getting bills passed. His most notable accomplishment was his sponsorship of a bill signed by Gov. Jeb Bush last year sparing the mentally retarded from the death penalty. Other accomplishments include creating a program to help rural hospitals, gaining funds for a World War II memorial and starting a small-county road assistance program. He voted three times against the sales tax exemption on back-to-school clothing purchases, and he also voted for a bill to pump untreated water into the aquifer, a vote he now says he regrets.

Argenziano has shown she will stand up to special interests or party leaders on important issues. Her personal litmus test on legislation is: Will this help the people?

With lobbyists and lock-step GOP loyalists holding sway in Tallahassee, Floridians need a strong, independent voice to advocate for them in the Legislature. The Times recommends that voters in District 3 send Argenziano to the Senate.

Lee Cannon for Senate District 11

State Rep. Mike Fasano and former Pasco Sheriff Lee Cannon can state legitimately their home county is better off now than prior to their eight years in office. Both are seeking to extend their public service, running for the newly configured District 11 Senate seat stretching from Dunedin to Levy County.

Fasano, R-New Port Richey, excels at constituent service. He lobbied aggressively to land the state veterans nursing home for Land O'Lakes and money for the Hudson Senior Center and numerous other capital projects requested by social agencies. Term limits are forcing Fasano out of the District 45 legislative seat he first won in 1994.

Cannon, Pasco's Democratic sheriff until his re-election defeat in 2000, turned an agency scandalized by his two immediate predecessors into a respected department that became a leader in establishing police accreditation standards. He assumed a proactive approach to law enforcement and increased officers in schools and neighborhoods via community-oriented policing. Likewise, he turned the floundering Safety Town project into a viable community asset that helps educate thousands of children annually.

Both talk tough on crime, with Fasano pointing to his support for the 10-20-Life measure. But, Cannon has been a street cop, detective, prosecutor and sheriff. His understanding of criminal matters goes beyond the House of Representatives' chamber.

Yet, both candidacies are problematic. Cannon pushed for higher taxes for local law enforcement using skewed data to justify his need for increased personnel. His prickly personality allowed annual budget discussions with county commissioners to disintegrate into personal petty politics. His constituents will be better served if he tones down the antagonism.

Fasano's year as House majority leader under Speaker Tom Feeney was highlighted by frequent complaints about his arm-twisting of legislators and lobbyists alike. His resignation a year early indicated an inability to work through those problems. Most notably, though, Fasano has been a loyal advocate and apologist for Gov. Jeb Bush and the Republican leadership in the Legislature, pushing the administration's agenda on tax cuts, education and the environment.

Fasano has had his turn in Tallahassee. It is time for someone new. The Times recommends Cannon for Senate District 11.

Dennis Jones for Senate District 13

The story line here looks familiar: Longtime lawmaker with fat campaign account faces upstart who brings "new blood." The twist is that neither candidate is the incumbent.

This Senate seat, which covers much of western Pinellas, is held by Don Sullivan, who is being forced out by term limits. Dennis Jones, a chiropractor who served in the state House for 22 years before he, too, was forced out by term limits in 2000, hopes to replace Sullivan. The candidate who says she can bring "new blood" is Joanna Kennedy, a hair salon owner and two-term Indian Rocks Beach city commissioner.

The quick story line can be misleading in more than one way. While Jones is a longtime legislator who at times found himself too close to his chiropractic industry, his experience is an asset in this race. Through most of his years in the House, he established himself as a moderate Republican, willing to work with colleagues in both parties. He was a consistent supporter of public education, and he cast some courageous votes along the way, including one in 1987 for the ill-fated services tax. In this campaign, Jones has talked freely about the need to invest more in public schools, to make teacher pay more competitive, and he has said the state may need to consider sales tax reform to eliminate inequitable exemptions.

Kennedy, a Democrat, outlines similar priorities, and her campaign does convey the same kind of exuberance she has brought to her commission duties. The problem is that new can also mean naive, and once she strays from the more rehearsed lines of her campaign platform, she struggles to identify the issues with clarity.

Jones has the chance to join a Senate that has become an important modulator to the high-pitched impulses of the House, and he likely would play a role similar to that of Sullivan, who tended to reject ideological hysteria and focus on making government work. While Kennedy offers many promising qualities as a first-time legislative candidate, Jones could make a more immediate impact. We recommend Jones.

Jim Sebesta for Senate District 16

Jim Sebesta, a former Hillsborough elections supervisor and a former real estate director for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, promised four years ago to use his split Senate district to help unite Tampa Bay. To a commendable extent, he has done so.

District 16 wraps around Tampa Bay, covering neighborhoods and business districts that stretch from St. Petersburg and Hyde Park to the Hillsborough/Pasco county line. In his first term, Sebesta helped build consensus on a variety of common issues between the counties, including: greater autonomy for the University of South Florida campus in St. Petersburg; a transportation corridor that links the counties through the Gandy Bridge; legislative delegations that cooperate, transportation funding for projects on both sides of the bay.

Sebesta, a Republican, used his status as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee to push for area road projects and high-speed rail. He also showed occasional courage on difficult tax issues, such as his support for Senate President John McKay's ill-fated plan to remove sales tax exemptions on some businesses while lowering the rate for all taxpayers. In his campaign, Sebesta has said that removal of sales tax exemptions "offers the best and quickest hope" for dealing with upcoming budget deficits and that he wants to increase teacher salaries.

Sebesta's opponent is Allison McInnis-Gimbert, Democrat, a senior majoring in political science at the University of South Florida. McInnis-Gimbert is a Florida native with two young sons, and she expresses a genuine concern for public schools and social services. But she needs more experience to persuade voters she could better represent their interests in this matchup. We recommend Sebesta.

Opportunity to reply

The Times offers candidates not recommended by its Editorial Board an opportunity to reply. Candidates should send in their replies no later than 5 p.m. Thursday to: Philip Gailey, editor of editorials, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731. By e-mail: letters@sptimes.com (no attachments, please). By fax: (727) 893-8675; Replies are limited to 250 words.

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