The Times offers candidates not recommended by its editorial board an opportunity to reply. Here are some of those replies.
--
Leland Anne Baldwin
Candidate for Circuit Court judge, 13th Judicial Circuit, Group 25
Thank you for the positive remarks contained in your editorial of Aug. 24. I am pleased to know that you believe I would "add competence to the circuit." I am equally pleased, however, with the support I received from my peers and colleagues.
Your recent editorial recommendation omitted any reference to the Hillsborough County Bar Association's Judicial Preference Poll, which came out earlier this month. More than 500 area lawyers responded to the poll, and I was fortunate to come out ahead by a considerable margin. I received more than 200 votes (38 percent) compared to 127 votes (23 percent) for the next closest candidate. The poll is particularly instructive because it represents the collective opinions of those people with whom each of the candidates has had professional interaction over the years. Given their daily exposure to, and interaction with, the judiciary, the lawyers of Hillsborough County arguably are in the best position to determine which of the four candidates in the Group 25 race would make the best judge.
I am committed to serving the people of Hillsborough County with dignity, integrity and professionalism. I believe that I served the people well during my tenure as a prosecutor, and I am confident that I will continue to serve them well as a circuit court judge. To the voters of Hillsborough County, I ask for your support and for your vote on Tuesday.

Bill Jennings

Republican candidate for Hillsborough County state attorney

I believe I am the best candidate for the office of Hillsborough County state attorney because I will bring to this office competence, professionalism and integrity.

I believe a state attorney should be competent in his role as a trial lawyer -- with a prosecution background. I am the only candidate board-certified in criminal trial law. I have 20 years' experience as a prosecutor with more than 225 jury trials. I have dedicated almost my entire career to protecting the people of the state of Florida.

I believe a state attorney should exhibit integrity. I have been married to Linda for 25 years, and we have a 10-year-old son. I have been a mentor for the Hillsborough County schools, member of Youth for Christ Board of Directors, attend Hyde Park United Methodist Church and am active in many civic and community causes.

I believe a state attorney must be a strong supervisor and administrator capable of managing a law firm of 115 lawyers efficiently. The Times, in its Aug. 24 editorial, recognizes the importance of management and administrative skills for this office. I am the only candidate in the race with the management experience and skills required for state attorney, having supervised 20 divisions during my career, including managing more than 50 lawyers and their case loads.

I believe a state attorney must always exhibit professionalism. I do that by my activities in the community including serving on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, the Florida Prosecutors Statewide Education Committee, the Drug Abuse Advisory Council and Teen Court, among others.

I believe the citizens of Hillsborough County deserve to have the best person fighting crime for them. The people deserve a state attorney who will not tolerate unnecessary plea negotiations and acquittals of murderers -- someone who will manage this large law firm in a professional and competent manner, ensuring the safest possible environment for the citizens of Hillsborough County to live, work and raise their families. I am the person to serve you best as Hillsborough County state attorney.
--
Robert Shimberg
Democratic candidate for Hillsborough County state attorney
Hillsborough County needs a state attorney who understands the criminal justice system. We need a state attorney who has experience prosecuting crime, someone who has fought for crime victims and worked to prevent crime in our community. As an assistant state attorney, I prosecuted thousands of cases against burglars, thieves, drug dealers, people who exploited the elderly and murderers.
I have witnessed firsthand the effect that crime has on its victims. That is why I started the Restitution Court program, forcing criminals to pay victims for their losses. Through this program, we have collected tens of thousands of dollars for victims from criminals.
I established a summer job program for inner-city youth at the Police Athletic League, helping to prevent youth from turning to crime. In May 1998, when Tampa's two police homicide detectives were shot and killed, I organized Cease-Fire Tampa, a program that promotes firearm safety, helps prevent gun violence in schools and makes it harder for criminals to obtain guns. The program was recently recognized as one of the best programs in the country for helping to keep a community safe.
Hillsborough County needs a state attorney who is honest and ethical and displays sound judgment and integrity. I urge you to compare my record of prosecutorial experience, community leadership and ethics to my opponent's.
Please vote for Robert Shimberg for state attorney on Tuesday.

Diane TeStrake

Democratic candidate for state House, District 44

I was a Hernando County taxpayer and weekend resident for 24 years, until I became a full-time resident and registered voter in 1994.

I raise cows on 40 acres and am acquainted with the problems of farmers and ranchers, particularly their water problems.

My grandchildren attend public schools, and I am acutely aware of the problems schools are facing. I will work to restore the general funds, eliminated when the lottery came into existence, using them to reduce class size, providing students with books to take home and providing more money to school districts so that all children have the opportunity for a quality education.

For the last 33 years I have been a professor of biology and associate dean at the University of South Florida. With more than six published works on environmental issues, I understand the problems that the coming growth will bring and will work for both a healthy environment and a robust economy. My work at USF has sharpened my skills as an administrator and a consensus builder.

I have listened to many residents of District 44 and share their great concerns about health care issues. There are things that can be done at the state level to assist our seniors. For example, forbid pharmaceutical companies from blocking the sale of generic drugs in order to increase their profits. One of my first bills will be to eliminate this "negative formulary."

I ask Democratic voters to vote for Diane TeStrake on Tuesday.
--
Sabato "Sal' DeVito
Republican candidate for state House, District 44
I thank the Times for its insightful assessment of Rep. David Russell Jr.'s two years in office, which also totally agrees with the charges my campaign has been leveling at the incumbent. Terms you use, such as "insignificant" (dog and cat fur law), "parochial" (allowing building inspectors to sue complaining citizens) and "misguided" (inadequately insured motorcycle helmet law) to describe Russell's tenure in office are, indeed, definitive.
You have, however, overlooked some of Russell's recent actions, i.e., mishandling of the HMO crisis and conniving with Hernando County bureaucrats to abolish the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a story which, one would think, the Times might find worth investigating beyond a cursory item.
While the three Republican candidates in this race have only two years of elective office experience (the incumbent's), there are other life experience qualifications that warrant consideration: military service (both challengers); career experience: an engineer with bachelor's and two master's degrees, and an experienced attorney with bachelor's and master's degrees and a doctorate, coupled with an extensive knowledge of the law. Law is, after all, the purpose of the legislative process and the product of the legislative body.
The incumbent has only a one-term advantage over the challengers, an advantage all but obliterated by your own critical assessment of Russell's legislative "accomplishments" and voting record.
For voters seeking independent representation, founded on the merits of individual issues, without worry of reprisals, I suggest their choice is very obvious: DeVito.

Nicholas W. Nicholson

Republican candidate for state House, District 44

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to your personal endorsement for the voters of Florida House District 44.

I would like to quote the Orlando Sentinel: "Fortunately, Republican primary voters in the district -- Hernando County and parts of Lake, Sumter, Pasco and Polk counties -- have a viable alternative in Nick Nicholson." "Mr. Nicholson not only has a solid grasp of the issues facing Florida, he has a plan in mind to address those problems." "Mr. Nicholson's other legislative priorities are right on the money." "Mr. Nicholson also does his homework. Not only is he familiar with the complexities of the state budget, he has researched almost every vote Mr. Russell cast in the past two years. That kind of commitment to details, coupled with his evident verve for public service, combine to make Mr. Nicholson the right man for the job."

And to quote Gordon Reynolds of Mascotte, in another recent Orlando Sentinel article, "I'm going to support him because he has the gumption to knock on doors. When they come to a poor community like this and knock on our doors, it means they really want the job."

Finally, to quote Dan DeWitt of the St. Petersburg Times, "In some ways -- he is anti-abortion and touts family values -- Nicholson can come off as more conservative than Russell. In others, such as his insistence of increased spending for public schools and social programs, Nicholson sounds like an old-fashioned populist."

The opinions of others are more important than mine (I may be a little biased). If elected, I will serve all the people of District 44 to the best of my ability.
--
Kim Berfield
Republican candidate for state House, District 50
Being "effective quickly" is not always a good thing.
Your newspaper cited quickness as a reason to recommend my opponent, Clearwater City Commissioner Ed Hooper, in the District 50 primary race for the House of Representatives. But one look at Clearwater's controversial roundabout shows that a little prudence would have gone a long way.
Hooper's quick effectiveness rushed the city of Clearwater into the $14-million project in just 11 days. That decision betrayed two of his campaign promises: fiscal responsibility and respect for the citizens.
Your own editorial on July 13 stated that a contributing factor to the defeat of the downtown referendum plan was "No public trust -- voters don't trust Clearwater officials." My opponent is one of those Clearwater officials, and I believe that we deserve a representative whom we can trust and who will listen.
You mentioned I concentrate on just generalities. But in my interview with your newspaper, I offered specific recommendations on transportation, education, elderly health care and other issues you raised. These are all serious problems that can't be solved overnight with a quick roundabout-like fix.
Family is important. The worst thing the Times said is that my parents are involved in their community. What a sad commentary to belittle family ties. My opponent's union ties were not mentioned.
Rather than personal attacks, we should focus on the problems facing District 50 voters. It's not about empty campaign promises; it's about getting results.

Robert A. Kersteen

Republican candidate for state House, District 53

Serving as a state representative requires a familiarity with your district's concerns, as well as an eye on the future. My experience as a City Council person, chairman of the Pinellas Planning Council, 14 years on the Environmental Development Commission, service on numerous boards and commissions, along with five decades of volunteerism in our community has prepared me to be an effective state representative.

In your editorial, you misrepresented my position on submerged lands. I would not support giving away state lands due to environmental concerns and public access, however, property owners have rights, too, and all issues must be balanced. Site plans approved during my service on the EDC have resulted in the "greening" of St. Petersburg. I was an original supporter of public purchase of Clam Bayou Property.

My involvement in education goes back 20 years. I served as president of the Westgate Elementary and Tyrone Middle PTAs as well as serving on Student Advisory Committees for more than a decade. Our children grew up in District 53, attending our public schools and universities. My commitment to protect the integrity of our public school system is unarguable, and my platform reflects that commitment.

I have committed my career to the people of St. Petersburg and if given the opportunity, will work hard to represent the people of District 53. I have always made it a high priority to be completely accessible and listen to constituents I serve. I will continue this practice as our voice in Tallahassee.
--
Michele King
Democratic candidate for state House, District 53
The St. Petersburg Times' editorial recommendation of my opponent in the District 53 House race errs on the side of favoring a Tallahassee insider. While reading your recommendation, I am reminded of a recent column written by Times veteran Martin Dyckman to announce that he was moving permanently to Tallahassee earlier this year.
In the column, Dyckman recalls how nervous he was when in 1967 his editors told him he was being assigned to the Sunshine State's Capitol to cover that year's session of the state Legislature. Dyckman writes, "I was as nervous as any young rookie before that 1967 session, but I needn't have been. Two-thirds of the legislators were rookies, too." And this rookie Legislature, Dyckman recalls "modernized the Cabinet, the judiciary, public ethics, swiftly earned recognition as one of the nation's best."
Yes, I, too, would be a rookie in Tallahassee, as the Times editorial correctly points out. And my opponent, a former legislative aide, does have an understanding how Tallahassee works. Where I disagree with the Times is whether someone experienced in the ways of Tallahassee is what the state and the residents of District 33 need right now in our history.
The veteran legislators have given us a failed public school system and a so-called health care reform bill written by the state's largest business lobbying group. And but for the Florida Senate, millions of acres of publicly owned land would have been handed over to timber, mining, developer and other special interests.
What I hope to bring to Tallahassee is real life experience. My experience as a negotiator learned as a Realtor. My experience as a daughter seeing my parents struggle to make ends meet on a retirement income, while dealing with the ever-spiraling costs of prescription drugs and other health care needs. I will bring to Tallahassee the experience I have garnered while a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Sierra Club as well as the Audubon Society Adopt-A-Class program. We do not need old thinking in Tallahassee. We need new common sense approaches to grapple with the myriad of problems facing our state. I want to be a problem-solver in Tallahassee for the people of District 53.
On Tuesday, I hope you will vote to reject politics as usual and the greed and cynicism that give public service and public servants a bad name. I hope you will consider casting a vote for change, new ideas and a fresh perspective by voting for me, Michele King, for state representative.

Dan Curran

Republican candidate for state House, District 54

First, let me correct the implication that I would consider raising taxes. I am opposed to raising taxes and would like to see the intangibles tax eliminated. I am in favor of getting rid of sales tax exemptions that have served their purpose.

Second, I respect the Times choice, but, "pecking order" politics is exactly what the voters don't want anymore. They want fresh blood, a man with a world of experience who will bring new ideas to bear on old problems, and I am that man. Having lived in Florida seven years makes me a newcomer, I guess, but the small, touristy beach town and retirement area where I grew up in California shares the same concerns as those in my district on the Gulf Coast: health care, public safety, growth management, tourism, the environment and education.

I am running because I want to make a difference and try to do some good. I believe in the lowest taxes, the least government and the fewest regulations possible to promote business, job creation and wealth. I believe government exists to protect the individual's right to life, liberty, property and the pursuit of happiness.

I have nothing against my opponent, but, there are plenty of lawyers in Tallahassee already. Sending another won't help. Florida needs diversity in it's state House, not more inbreeding.

Finally, the choice is simple: the status-quo of lawyers becoming legislators becoming lobbyists or a straight arrow whose only ambition is to serve the people.
--
Tony DiMatteo
Republican candidate for state House, District 54
I am the only conservative Republican in this race, and I am running my campaign as I live my life -- with honor, duty and community.
Honor: If your word isn't any good, then what difference does it make what you promise? I received twice as many votes as my nearest opponent, from people who knew the candidates at the Republican Party Victory 2000 picnic.
Duty: To our seniors and veterans, we owe them our lives, our values, and we owe them our respect. They earned it with hard work and sacrifice.
To today's working families, we must keep government off their backs and we must protect individual property rights, while keeping the environment safe for future generations.
We have a duty to our children to provide them with the best education possible, controlled at the local level. We must get this political correctness out of our classrooms and put respect back in. The state should set general guidelines (A+
plan), but local school boards should run the schools with input from us, the parents.
Community: I am the only candidate who has pledged to work for you full-time, year-round. I am the only candidate who will offer evening and weekend office hours. I want face-to-face input from the people I serve.
I don't have all the answers on every issue. However, if given the honor to serve you, I will always fight for what's right, and I will always be accessible to you.
Vote for yourself -- vote for Tony DiMatteo, No. 44 on your ballot.

Frank Peterman Jr.

Democratic candidate for state House, District 55

The first question in any election is: "Who is best prepared to serve?" The second question is: "What have they already done?"

Both questions can be answered by considering distinctions between candidates, and in this race there are important distinctions.

As your St. Petersburg City Council member, I've had the experience of dealing with multimillion-dollar budgets and gained valuable experience working directly with state and federal agencies.

Improving education will be a challenge for the Legislature. I've served on the St. Petersburg Junior College Advisory Committee and the University of South Florida Bayboro Advisory Board, and it's significant that the Pinellas Classroom Teachers' Association endorsed my candidacy.

Economic development will be the measuring stick for your state representative. As your councilman, I supported successful legislation to fund the Dome District Industrial Park ($7.5-million) to bring good jobs within walking distance of residents of the Challenge Area. I challenged the fact that there were no minorities in management in the city's Public Utilities Department. Today there are three, with more on the way, and another has been promoted from manager to assistant director.

Protecting our environment is important to voters. I've been endorsed by the Sierra Club and the Florida League of Conservation Voters.

As you noted in an article on Aug. 28, my opponent has run for public office twice (with the Times' recommendation) and both times he has been unsuccessful with voters.

Voters are discerning. They support leadership they have reason to trust. I ask for their support on Tuesday.
--
David B. Higginbottom
Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate
An editorial in a leading Florida newspaper on Aug. 19, argues that both Bill McCollum and Bill Nelson are qualified to represent Florida in the U.S. Senate because both have served several terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. The editorial ignores the fact that both McCollum and Nelson failed to make any effort to reform the "War on Drugs." Both went along with the policies of putting more and more people in prison, giving them longer and longer prison terms, building more and more prisons, legalizing constitutionally questionable administrative forfeitures, making more and more drug dealers unbelievably rich and more and more addicts into criminals desperate for the money to buy drugs.
Does Florida really want to send either of these unimaginative squanderers of at least $150-billion a year to continue their unimaginative squandering of our tax money in the U.S. Senate? If you want to send someone with ability to squander your tax money to the U.S. Senate, then by all means vote for McCollum or Nelson.
Isn't it time to send a fresh voice to the Senate? A voice of one willing to look at drug policies that work, not continue squandering billions and billions of dollars on policies that have failed year in and year out?
Think of what $150-billion could do for education in America, like giving every school child a computer to take home, like attracting more people into the ranks of our teachers by giving them better salaries, better working conditions and public respect?
Wake up, editors. Wake up, America, and send David B. Higginbottom to the Senate with fresh ideas and imaginative solutions to problems that can and should be solved. For details of some of Higginbottom's ideas you can visit his Web site at
www.antidrugwar.com

Jim King

Republican candidate for Congress, District 5

Quite frankly your recommendation of a moderate/liberal Republican lawyer from Gainesville shows just out of step the St. Petersburg Times is with the voters in District 5 and in the nation as a whole. America has sent a loud and clear message that we have enough lawyers in government, and we need people in office who understand and are willing to speak out on issues.

I have been a resident of Florida for more than 15 years. I do agree that while growing up I did consider Washington my home, but that was many years ago.

As for your view that Peter Enwall is a moderate Republican lawyer, I do take great exception to your definition. I consider him to be a liberal on all social issues and far left when it comes to defending the Bill of Rights and Constitution of the United States.

Enwall supports gun control and wishes to enforce all laws on the books today, even though many are clearly unenforceable or unconstitutional. I fail to understand what he means when he claims to be two-thirds pro-life. He was the only member of the Republican Executive Committee to support the burning of the American flag. Enwall supports adoption of children by homosexuals. He is undecided on the funding of the National Endowment for the Arts. He has failed to speak out on the MFN for China. And the list of our differences goes on and on.

I invite all the voters in the district to review your recommendation of Enwall and compare the two of us on issues as they prepare to vote in the primary on Tuesday.
--

Back to Opinion

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

From the Times
Opinion page