Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 8-3-18

Florida Sentinel Recommendations
THE FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN . . .
Recommendations For August 28th Election
GOVERNOR
Andrew Gillum
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Sean Shaw
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE
No Recommendation
STATE SENATOR DISTRICT 20
Kathy Lewis
STATE REP. DISTRICT 61
Dianne Hart
STATE REP. DISTRICT 62
Susan Valdez
STATE REP. DISTRICT 70
Wengay “Newt” Newton (The winner will be determined in the Primary Election.)
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DISTRICT 5
Mariella Smith
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS DIST. 7
Mark Nash
CIRCUIT JUDGE GROUP 25
Cissy Sevelin
COUNTY COURT JUDGE GROUP 2
Greg Green
COUNTY COURT JUDGE GROUP 5
Jared Smith
COUNTY COURT JUDGE GROUP 8
E. Michael Isaak
SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 1
William Person
SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 2
Stacy Hahn
SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 4
Melissa Snively
SCHOOL BOARD DISTRICT 6
Henry ‘Shake’ Washington
Sentinel Board Recommendation For Florida House District 61 Seat
In the past, the Sentinel Editorial Board has at- tempted to interview as many political candidates as possible. However, due to unforeseen circum- stances, the Board only conducted in-person in- terviews with the candi- dates for the Florida House District 61 Seat.
The five-member board had the awesome task of choosing between four candidates who demon- strated impressive quali- ties.
The race for this seat is unique in that the winner in the Primary Election will not face a Republican challenger, but a write-in candidate in the General Election. Additionally, the winner of this race will be determined by the person who garners a majority of the votes.
Ms. Sharon Carter was impressive. She was famil- iar with the issues and en- thusiastic. We feel that Ms. Carter does not have the name recognition to capture the majority of the vote.
However, we feel that
she has the ability to serve the community well in the future.
Attorney Norman Har- ris was impressive and knowledgeable of the is- sues facing our commu- nity. He brings a background in the legal profession that would be beneficial in Tallahassee.
Like Ms. Carter, we feel Attorney Harris’ popular- ity in the community has not reached the level that would earn him enough votes to capture the seat.
The next two candi- dates are Ms. Dianne Hart and Attorney Karen Sky- ers. If we could merge the two, we would have the perfect candidate. How- ever, we can’t.
Attorney Karen Skyers brings to the table her legal background as well as her experience as an Assistant to Senator
Arthenia Joyner. We be- lieve that she is smart, knowledgeable of the is- sues, and will do well in the political arena. On the other hand, she is not na- tive to the area. This is also her first time seeking political office.
If elected, we feel At- torney Skyers would do very well in Tallahassee.
While Ms. Dianne Hart does not possess a law de- gree, she is also smart, and a product of East Tampa. She has worked in the community on a grass- roots level for several years. She is aware of what is needed in the com- munity and we believe will be able to help pass legis- lation that would be bene- ficial to all.
THE TRUTH During the last elec-
tion, Ms. Hart lost to Rep. Sean Shaw by a very slim margin. To be fair, each board member has one vote, and the three top candidates each received one vote with Ms. Hart re- ceiving the most.
Therefore, the Sentinel endorses Ms. Dianne Hart.
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018