 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Citrus Slices
By Times staff writer Students get to take a crack at candidatesThe following is a special edition of Citrus Slices, featuring items gathered at a candidates' forum Oct 28 at Citrus High School during which high school students from around the county quizzed the candidates. COMING SOON TO HBO: The candidates flowed through the crowd, shaking hands and looking relaxed yet serious. The students, in turn, were properly respectful. Then, H. David Werder, a write-in hopeful in the race against U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman, took the microphone and loosened things up. Sounding more like he was auditioning for a slot as a standup comedian, Werder, sporting a sparkling cowboy hat, boomed funny stories in a rapid-fire manner to illustrate various points of his platform. Some of the tales, including one involving chickens and mares, strayed a bit from whatever point he was trying to make. But they drew laughs nonetheless. Brian Moore, a no-party candidate in the race, told the chuckling crowd that Werder cracks 'em up at all of the forums. Missing the obvious, Moore said, "You should see him," to an audience that was doing just that. PARTY LOYALTY, WITH A TWIST: Werder said that he has switched parties 20 times in the past two years but that, at the moment, he is a Republican. He added that he was sorry that Ginny Brown-Waite, the GOP candidate in the race, wasn't at the forum. "I was gonna ask Brown-Waite to concede because I don't think that she can beat this lady," he said, pointing at Thurman. SLIP OF THE LIP: Alluding to Brown-Waite's absence, moderator Mike Wright of the Chronicle said that the candidate was "not allowed to be here tonight." He quickly caught himself and said he meant to say that she was "not able" to attend. HEY, WE'RE IN A SCHOOL. LOOK IT UP IN THE LIBRARY: Jimmy Carr, the Democrat candidate in the House District 43 race, was answering a question about his stance on abortion when he veered off track. Carr said that a quote from women's rights advocate Susan B. Anthony ("You know, the lady on the quarter.") summed up his views. Unfortunately, he could not recall this particularly meaningful quote, despite prompting from the audience and the moderator. CAN I BUY A VOWEL?: Charles Dean, the Republican in the House race, was feeling generous when he answered a question about the class size amendment on the ballot. Twice, he threw in a couple of extra syllables, turning "fiscal" impact into "physical impact." WHERE ARE THE SCHOOL'S AUDIO/VISUAL KIDS? Technical problems reared up as the event wound down. Microphones held by Nancy Argenziano and Richard Mitchell, candidates in the State Senate District 3 race, kept going out. At one point, Argenziano's microphone let loose with an ear-splitting stream of feedback. Argenziano, who had just answered a question about preserving local water supplies, remarked, "That's probably Pinellas County trying to get back at me."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
