Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

For State Senate

The Times recommends these candidates in the State Senate primaries.

State Senate, District 10

Sandra L. Murman, Republicans

Tom Lee leaves big shoes to fill, not merely because of his stature as Senate president but for the tone he set in Tallahassee and the integrity he brought to the legislative process. Voters in east Hillsborough, south Pasco and west Polk should remember how Lee raised the bar when they choose his successor. Among Republicans, former state Rep. Sandra Murman has the best grasp of the district's problems, the challenges Florida faces and the leadership style needed to bring home the bacon.

Murman, 56, was a hard-working Tampa-area legislator from 1996 to 2004. Her broad community experience, particularly with hospital, school and children's groups, made her a leading voice in the House on foster care, seniors' health and other social issues. She supports tax cuts, privatizing government services and using public money for private school vouchers. But Murman also is the only Republican in this race who acknowledges the seriousness of school crowding, the rationale for giving poor children preventive health care and the urgent need to find a fix to soaring property insurance premiums.

Her most vocal challenger, Ronda Storms, has made a name for herself as a Hillsborough County commissioner by belittling others and using her idea of religion to fan bigotry. Storms may have brought the seven-member board to a halt, but the 160-member Legislature plays by different rules. Storms, 40, likely would be less influential in a system where a balance of power exists. If Storms gets ignored, so does the district. A third challenger, Ray Young, a 51-year-old Plant City businessman, is polite and understands how lawmaking works. But he has too little experience and a flat agenda for the Florida Senate. In the District 10 Senate Republican primary, the Times recommends Sandra Murman.

Hillsborough, Pinellas

State Senate, District 18

Arthenia L. Joyner, Democrats

State Rep. Arthenia Joyner makes mistakes - her vote in 2003 to raise local telephone rates betrayed her struggling Tampa district - and often she is missing in action when the folks back home need her leadership. But Joyner, 63, usually has her priorities straight. She has been a strong supporter of civil rights, health care and open government, and her broad community service gives her perspective as a legislator. Her record is mixed, but she the only credible Democrat in this primary.

Her challenger, Gerald White, 43, a Tampa activist, talks in circles and shows no understanding of the three-county urban district. Voters in central Tampa, south Pinellas and north Manatee would be better served by an experienced legislator. In the Democratic primary for Senate District 18, the Times recommends Arthenia Joyner.

State Senate, District 16

Kim Berfield, Republicans

The Republican primary for the Senate District 16 seat being vacated by Sen. Jim Sebesta pits two experienced House members against each other: Kim Berfield of Clearwater and Frank Farkas of St. Petersburg. The edge goes to Berfield.

The two candidates have a lot in common, yet there is an important difference. Berfield is more likely than Farkas to come down on the side of the broader public interest.

For example, last session Berfield opposed an effort to weaken prescription drug tracking requirements aimed at thwarting counterfeiters, but Farkas backed the industry position and helped pass the measure. Also, Farkas unsuccessfully pushed for an exemption from growth management laws for a St. Petersburg developer. And he took a trip to Canada on a gambling company's dime.

Farkas, a 50-year-old chiropractor, has a firm grasp of the legislative process but is too careless with the public trust. He did do the right thing last session when he helped shoot down a predatory lending bill that Berfield favored. But her positions are usually more defensible. Farkas insists on undermining the popular class-size amendment, while Berfield recognizes that the voters have already expressed their will. Berfield, a 35-year-old part-time employee at an advertising firm, also has experience on the House Insurance Committee that will enable her to play a better role in solving that crisis.

For the Republican primary in state Senate District 16, which curves around Tampa Bay from St. Petersburg to south Tampa, the Times recommends Kim Berfield.

[Last modified August 20, 2006, 06:15:10]