Page 4 - Florida Sentinel 7-22-16 Online Edition

Sentinel Editorial Board
THE FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN . . .
THE FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN . . .
Picks For August 30th Election
Our message from 2012 resonates even louder NOW.....
We have to change the perception, by ac- tion!
The Black community in Hillsborough County must hold ALL politicians accountable for their actions. None of them should be of the mindset that they can do what they want to us, without consequence.
With that said, let’s get down to business and move FORWARD.
How? Go to the polls and vote. Vote early, vote by mail.... JUST DO IT!
We saw how our ONE vote changed HIS- TORY in 2008 and 2012. So, let’s do it AGAIN, and AGAIN.
Look around your neighborhoods, if you like what you see, then stay home... if you don’t, then be a part of the process of CHANGE.
This election cycle, every major office that directly affects your life will be elected: The President of the United States; U.S. Senate; U.S. Representative, State Senate and State Representative; County Commissioners Board, School Board and County and Circuit judge.
There are also amendments on the ballot as well.
This is MAJOR my brothers and sisters. These people control budgets, and make deci- sions in Washington, Tallahassee and Hillsbor- ough County. They represent you!
The Tea Party and the lean toward White supremacy, both wearing cowboy boots and a bow tie is real. These people are organized, and have a money machine behind them. They also have major media pushing candidates that promote a conservative-race-baiting agenda.
They will only grow stronger if we keep pas- sively waiting for them to force us on the bus to hell.
Wake up people!.The only way that we can show them that we stand up for ourselves and will not allow them to shun our communities, mistreat our children and not hire us, just be- cause they have the power and CAN; is if we go to the voting box and be counted.
YOU... body of 1, multiplied by 1000s = POWER! If all of us who are registered....go out and vote, we can WIN.
The 7-member Sentinel Editorial Board in- terviewed many of the candidates. These are our recommendations.
Clerk of the Circuit Court
Pat Frank: A household name in Hillsborough County, Mrs. Frank has demonstrated to this com- munity her dedication to serve as a tireless leader in this community in every po- litical office she has held. She therefore, has our continued support.
School Board District 1
William “Bill” Person:
Knowledgeable, affable, and a proven leader, we support Bill Person over incumbent Susan Valdes, because we feel Valdes has lost sight of what matters in pursuit of power. Person, a retired principal and administrator wants to restore harmony and stability to the board. His campaign is solely based on his interest in the welfare of Hillsborough County stu- dents, teachers, administra- tors, and parents.
County Court Judge Group 10
Miriam Valkenburg.
Do let the name fool you. Atty. Velez Valkenburg is a Hispanic female that has served the community in many capacities. She was in law enforcement and made her way through with deter- mination and sheer drive. In private practice, she has done pro bono work to help those who need it.
Circuit Judge, 13th Judicial Circuit Group 3
CARL HINSON
Atty. Hinson has re- ceived our endorsement. He has been actively getting to know our community and has gained widespread sup- port, coupled with 30 years of legal experience, these qualities make him stand out.
Circuit Court Judge Group 24
Melissa “Missy” Polo, Gary S. Dolgin, and Lanell Williams- Yulee each has demon- strated to us that they are
MELISSA POLO
capable,
competent,
passionate,
highly quali-
fied, and will
serve this
community
very well as a
Circuit Court
judge. With
that said, you would not go wrong by choosing any one of them. This was too tough to choose, because we liked them all.
GARY DOLGIN
LANELL YULEE
School Board District 3
We did not speak to either candidate, however, we feel that Cindy Stuart, like Valdes, has lost sight of why she was elected in the first place.
State Senator District 19
He is our current State
Representative who has
served this community
well. He has shown great
leadership as a Florida
State Legislator, elected
chairman of the Florida
State Legislative Black
Caucus; earned the
Florida Counties Associa-
tion County Champion Award, and received a Distinguished Advocate award from the Florida Chamber of Commerce. He is a great leader. We highly support this young states- man and great leader. And although we wholeheartedly supported former State Betty Reed in the past, and still highly respect her, we feel that Narain has the energy and cross- the-aisle support needed to do what needs to be done to bring upward mobility to our dis- trict.
EDWIN NARAIN
PAM KEITH
Atty. Keith is Black and has her finger on the pulse of what is happen- ing in her community and in this country. The daughter a U.S. diplomat, Keith, 46, has traveled the world. She graduated from Boston College Law School, and then joined the U. S. Navy, serving as
U. S. Senator
a JAG in Norfolk, VA and Bahrain. She achieved the rank of Lieutenant before leav- ing the service in 1999 for a position at Mor- gan, Lewis & Bockius, a high-powered Washington, D.C. law firm. She moved to Florida in 2011 when she took a job as in- house counsel for Florida Light & Power, an energy company based in Juno Beach.
U. S. Represenative
No Recommendation
School Board District 5
JOSEPH JORDAN- ROBINSON
A conscientious commu- nity leader and people’s champion, we support Joe Robinson for his zealous and persistent pursuit of human rights, leadership and dig- nity for all as manifested in Hillsborough County. This choice came with a LOT of discussion. In the end, the majority of editorial board members felt it was Joe’s time.
State Represenative District 70
No Recommendation
State Representative District 59
RENA FRAZIER
Attorney, civil engineer, and lifelong resident of Tampa, Rena Upshaw Fra- zier, candidate for Florida State Rep. District 59 not only is knowledgeable about the laws and responsibilities of legislators, but is well- versed and shows the lead- ership that this community requires. She is a wife, mother and practicing attor- ney, and exudes the confi- dence and humble tenacity needed to team up with other legislators to bring back what our community needs.
State Representative District 61
SEAN MICHAEL SHAW
A local attorney, Shaw has been involved in many civic activ- ities and has shown outstanding leadership qualities, and will serve District 6, well. This is Shaw’s second run for the seat, which shows he is committed to serve. The other 2 candidates, Di- anne Hart and Walter Smith led to a lot of discussion. Hart is well- known and was very impressive to board members who were not familiar with her community in- volvement. However, Shaw’s law background was the swaying fac- tor. Walter Smith, Jr., is gaining notoriety in the community with his work with the CDC, and was also very impressive.
School Board District 7
STANLEY GRAY
We support him for his in- novative and fresh ideas as well as the disciplines of his life experience. In our opin- ion, he has a great under- standing of the needs of our school system. Our board also feels that we need voices like Mr. Gray’s along with Robinson’s to help change the culture of the board as it exists. ALL of the inner-city elementary schools in the district scored Ds and Fs on the state test. Change needs to come.
Board Of County Commissioners District 6
THOMAS SCOTT
Tom Scott has been a county commissioner before, and did an excellent job while serving on its board. Being hit by the political bug again, Bishop Scott under- stands the inner workings of county government better than any of his opponents. We’ve supported him throughout his political ca- reer, and we support him now.
PAGE 4-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2016