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Education advocate Reed beats Dawson

By JUSTIN GEORGE
Published September 6, 2006

A woman whose career has focused on education was leading the race to win the Democratic nomination for the state House District 59 race.

"I'm not confident until it's won," said Betty Reed, who had 48 percent of the votes with 26 of 40 precincts reporting. "I think education played a big part in the whole arena of the campaign."

Reed retired from Remington College as director of career services. She served on PTAs and on the Children's Board of Hillsborough County, and has focused much of her campaign on increasing educational opportunities for children.

She lobbied legislators to make air conditioning mandatory in every school and urged them to make college courses more transferable between private and public colleges.

Reed, 65, also serves as president of the Lucy-Dell Civic Association and wants the state to rein in homeowners' insurance rates.

By nearly 10 p.m., she was edging out Warren Hope Dawson, 66, who had 43 percent of the vote.

Dawson, a lawyer who has worked for Tampa, Hillsborough County and legislators, led a movement to increase minority representation on boards and civic groups. He also helped stop a former slave ship from becoming a Tampa tourist attraction.

In early returns, Hakim Aquil, 57, a businessman, had about 8 percent of the vote.

[Last modified September 6, 2006, 01:58:09]