Three candidates with wide-ranging views offer voters a variety of choices.
By CURTIS KRUEGER, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 31, 2002
Charlie Justice has been a state representative for two years; before that he worked as a legislative aide. Justice, a Democrat, said that gives him the experience to get things accomplished in the Legislature.
Republican Ken Feck said he would be a more effective representative for the residents of House District 53.
Michael Gilson-De Lemos, a Libertarian, said he would provide new ideas that would help Floridians find better solutions to state problems.
Justice said he was proud of voting to increase teacher pay, lower class sizes and strengthen the privacy of patients' medical records during his two-year tenure. If re-elected, he said, he would continue the fight to increase teacher salaries and for better access to health care, such as through a prescription drug plan.
"Study after study shows that one of the most important things that we can give a child is a well-qualified teacher in the classroom," Justice said.
Justice favors taking a close look at Florida's sales tax exemptions to find those that should be eliminated, which would help pay for some of those initiatives. He also advocates delaying a planned repeal of the state's intangibles tax.
Justice also sponsored a "three strikes and you're out" bill, which means that people convicted three times of certain violent crimes against senior citizens must receive at least a 25-year prison sentence.
Feck said he can provide effective leadership on such issues as education, health care, workers compensation, job creation and others.
Feck said he "firmly believes in testing and grading schools." But, he said, the lessons learned from the high-performing schools should be shared more effectively with those that aren't making the mark.
He said his experience as a small-business loan officer for a bank would help him in the state's economic development efforts.
"I've looked at so many companies over the years, at their financial statements, and I've seen what works and what doesn't work," Feck said.
He also wants to explore a way of pooling consumers' purchasing power to provide them with lower-cost insurance.
As a Libertarian, Gilson-De Lemos said he would "bring some fresh air into the system" by providing an alternative point of view. He said Libertarians often improve the quality of political discourse by offering ideas that the major political parties haven't seriously considered.
He said he would push alternatives to government, such as homeschooling and privatization. Gilson-De Lemos said he suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, but he does not believe that would inhibit his abilities as a legislator, because he would receive help and support from other active Libertarians. Also, he said, his candidacy shows that "a disabled person can participate in the political process."
State House District 53 includes portions of St. Petersburg, Gulfport, Pinellas Park, Kenneth City and the Lealman area. State representatives serve two-year terms and earn $29,328 a year.
KEN FECK, 32, grew up in St. Petersburg. He is a small-business loan officer for Mercantile Bank and has been chairman of the neighbor-to-neighbor program, which provides Christmas trees and gift certificates to needy families. Feck is an Army veteran of Desert Storm and a graduate of Boca Ciega High School, St. Petersburg Junior College and the University of South Florida. He is married and has two children. ASSETS: house, rental home, investments LIABILITIES: mortgages, student loans, auto loan SOURCE OF INCOME: Mercantile Bank, rental income E-MAIL: ken@kenfeck.com WEB SITE: www.kenfeck.com
CHARLIE JUSTICE, 34, grew up in St. Petersburg. He is an academic adviser at the University of South Florida. Justice spent five years working as an aide to former Rep. Lars Hafner, D-St. Petersburg. Justice was elected to the House in 2000. He ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 1995. He is a graduate of Boca Ciega High School, St. Petersburg Junior College and the University of South Florida. ASSETS: house, retirement account LIABILITIES: mortgage, car loan SOURCE OF INCOME: salary from USF and his legislative salary E-MAIL: charlie@charliejustice.us WEB SITE: www.charliejustice.us
MICHAEL GILSON-DE LEMOS, 47, is a retired management consultant who was born in Washington, D.C. He has lived in Florida full-time since the mid 1990s, and off and on since 1986. A graduate of Regents College, he is married and has three children who are being homeschooled. ASSETS: House, retirement account. LIABILITIES: Medical bills and a loan. SOURCE OF INCOME: Disability policy, wife's income.