La Gaceta Newspaper

From “As We Heard It,” by Patrick Manteiga, Oct. 9, 2020

Republican incumbent Lawrence McClure is being challenged by Cleo L. “C.L.” Townsend, Jr.
Townsend is a 6th-generation Floridian who was raised in the panhandle. He served in the Peace Corps. He had a career in public health and community planning. He is active in the Plant City community. Townsend’s priorities are very much in line with the Democratic platform.
We discussed the budget shortfalls facing the State for the next couple of years due to COVID. He offers ideas not just to cut services but look for additional reserves, such as a financial transaction tax and repealing the corporate tax cut.
McClure is running for his 3rd term. He is a partner in a firm that does environmental mitigation, cleanup and petroleum tank removal. He is a conservative, which fits well in his mostly east Hillsborough County district. He works well with the local farmers and wants to get his district back to work. He offers a list of bipartisan votes on school and health insurance issues.
The district is very likely to remain Republican and McClure tells us he will work across the aisle to make things better.
La Gaceta endorses Lawrence McClure for State Representative District 58.

From “As We Heard It,” by Patrick Manteiga, Oct. 9, 2020

District 64 serves the northwest part of Hillsborough and a part of Pinellas. This was Jamie Grant’s district, but he left in the middle of the campaign to accept an appointment by Governor DeSantis.
Traci Kloster was appointed by the Republican Party to take Grant’s place on the ballot. She is a family law attorney. She is pushing more charter schools and vouchers. She could not meet with us in time for this column.
Democrat Jessica Harrington has been campaigning for this office for two years and was prepared to run against the incumbent Jamie Grant. We’re not sure if the switch from Grant to Kloster is a benefit or not. She is a 7th grade civics teacher at Sgt. Paul R. Smith Middle School but is currently on sabbatical. She also taught elementary and high school. She recently worked for the non-profit Environmental Florida.
Harrington is passionate about public education and the environment and will take that passion to Tallahassee. She also will push to allow local government more control over development, environment and transportation issues. Fixing the criminal justice system is also high on her list.
La Gaceta endorses Jessica Harrington for State Representative District 64.

From “As We Heard It,” by Patrick Manteiga, Oct. 9, 2020

This race is to replace Tom Lee, who is retiring. The seat covers parts of Hillsborough and Pasco Counties.
Democrat Kathy Lewis is running for a second time for the seat. She challenged Lee in 2018. Danny Burgess is the Republican in the race.
Lewis has a background as a financial advocate and motivational speaker. She has a daughter with a disability and has been an advocate for children with disabilities and their families. She promised to continue this advocacy in the State Senate. She wants to expand access to healthcare by expanding Medicare and Medicaid. Also in her agenda is closing the gun show loophole, banning assault weapons, ending high-stakes testing and banning single-use plastic bags.
Lewis also volunteers to serve on many local boards, as does her opponent.
Burgess is an attorney who practices transactional law. He was born and raised in Zephyrhills and was elected to its City Council at the age of 18 and later became mayor. He was elected as the area’s state representative in 2014 and 2016. In 2018, Governor DeSantis appointed him as executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs. He recently resigned to run for the State Senate. He is a captain in the U.S. Army Reserve in the Judge Advocate General Corps. He and his wife have three young children.
Burgess has respect for home rule and local autonomy and worked to expand transportation infrastructure in Pasco County that is desperately needed.
Burgess is a little conservative for our taste, but he matches up better with his district and has the skills and connections to bring home needed funding for projects. He will also be in the majority, which will help. He knows the district very well and is a smart, seasoned legislator. We find him to be a good listener and he tells us he’ll be open to hear opposing ideas. He is also a supporter of historic preservation.
La Gaceta endorses Danny Burgess for State Senate District 20.

From “As We Heard It,” by Patrick Manteiga, Oct. 9, 2020

This is an open seat that represents the Brandon/Riverview area. Republican Michael Owen is a lawyer who practices mostly consumer protection law. He is a Brandon native and has been involved in the Brandon Chamber, Center Place and the Tony Saladino Tournament, to name a few.
He knows the district very well. He sounded a lot more moderate in our interview than his online presence makes him appear. He promises to work across the aisle and seems to want to find middle ground. He says he strongly supports the right to peacefully protest and would not support bills that would restrict free speech.
Democrat Andrew Learned serves in the U.S. Navy for 11 years and is now a reservist. He owns Grade Power Learning Center. He is very concerned about school overcrowding in his district and wants to end the rollback rate that keeps reducing the millage rate for schools to free up more money for education. He wants to demilitarize the police, provide more training and use social workers where more appropriate than uniformed officers.
Learned also wants to work across the aisle.
While we identify more with Learned’s Democratic values, the reality is the Florida House is controlled by Republicans. Owens seems to want to work with Democrats to advance good ideas.
La Gaceta endorses Michael Owen for State House District 59.

From “As We Heard It,” by Patrick Manteiga, Sept. 25, 2020

Democratic incumbent Susan Valdes is facing Republican challenger Angel S. Urbina and Laurie Rodriguez-Person, who is NPA.
Representative Valdes is a passionate advocate for our children and public education. She is focused on the kids who fall in the cracks in the education system. The ones who get left behind in a system that says no child left behind. Her background as a former School Board member prepared her to speak with authority on education issues in our capital.
Valdes is also a strong voice for Latinos and their issues.
La Gaceta strongly endorses Susan Valdes for State Representative District 62.

From “As We Heard It,” by Patrick Manteiga, Sept. 25, 2020

This race has incumbent Democrat Darryl Rouson being challenged by Christina Paylan, who is running NPA but appears to side with Republicans. If elected, she wants a “total recall of the Criminal Justice System.” She also wants to hold “public trials for every judge and prosecutor who participated in a wrongful conviction.” These legislative goals are likely tied to the fact that she is a convicted felon and lost her license to practice medicine. She was a cosmetic surgeon. According to Florida Politics, “Paylan’s legal actions are so extensive in the 13th Judicial Circuit, Judge Greg Holder filed a ‘vexatious litigant’ order against Paylan,” which blocks her from filing lawsuits pro se.
Rouson is one of the hardest-working Senators in Tallahassee. When others have left the capitol for an event or party, Rouson is still working in the office. That’s why he is one of the more successful Democrats in a legislature dominated by Republicans.
Rouson’s personal story of overcoming drug addiction is inspirational and gives him a valuable perspective in dealing with the addiction crisis that grips many Floridians and ruins careers and families.
He has served honorably and deserves to be reelected. La Gaceta endorses Darryl Rouson for State Senate District 19.