Recommendations for Manatee and Sarasota county commission and school board seats will appear July 29. Recommendations for the Sarasota City Commission, Sarasota County sheriffand Sarasota County Charter Review Board will be published the following week.
Over the next three weeks on this page, the Observer will present its recommendations for the upcoming primary elections. The official election day is Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Many newspapers have discontinued the practice of recommending candidates. We are not following the crowd. We continue to believe that one of the many and important roles of our newspapers is to advocate on the editorial/opinion page Note: only on the opinion page for candidates who stand for, first and foremost, individual liberty, the U.S. Constitution, limited government, low taxation and regulation, entrepreneurial capitalism and causes that advance those ideas for individuals and the betterment of the community.
Likewise, to a great extent, we view elections as referenda on the performance of incumbent office holders.
Were they good stewards of taxpayer dollars?
Do their voting records and core values reflect the liberty philosophy of defending and expanding peoples freedom or of expanding government and constricting freedom?
Are they advocates for taxpayers or the government?
Are they individuals of good moral character and values? Are they trustworthy?
These are among the criteria that go into our recommendations.
At the same time that elections are referenda on incumbents, we also believe in candidates who challenge or disrupt the status quo for the right reasons.
We know experience is invaluable. A county commissioner or legislator who has spent four or six years in office is likely to be far more knowledgeable about and effective than a newcomer at navigating government and the world of special-favors politics. But at the same time, incumbents often drift into becoming defenders of the government establishment. We embrace the disrupters who embrace the freedom philosophy and challenge the status quo.
Candidates: Jim Boyd; John Manners Houman
This is not a serious race.
Almost two years ago, Boyd completed eight years in the Florida House, representing District 71 (western Manatee County). In his final term, his legislative peers elected him speaker pro-tempore, the second-in-command of the House leadership. You dont reach that position unless you have demonstrated effective leadership among your fellow lawmakers.
More importantly, Boyd spent his eight years in the House as an advocate for taxpayers a dependable lawmaker for fiscal restraint and low taxes.
As the owner/CEO of Boyd Insurance and Investment Services in Bradenton, Boyd also worked as an ardent proponent of reforming Floridas auto insurance laws for consumers. This meant going against Floridas trial bar and frivolous lawsuits.
Boyd is the third generation of Manatee County Boyds to have served in the Legislature. His grandfather served in the House in 1940s, and his uncle, the late Wilbur Boyd, served in the House and Senate in the 1960s and 1970s. Prior to serving in the Legislature, Boyd was elected to the Palmetto City Council, serving terms as mayor and vice mayor.
Boyds opponent, John Manners Houman of Thonotossa in Hillsborough County, is a frequent candidate for state offices, albeit so far unsuccessful. In 2016, he lost to then-Democratic Rep. Daryl Rouson for Senate District 19; in 2018, he lost in the Republican primary to Sen. Tom Lee for Senate District 20.
Just to give you an idea of how lopsided the race, the amount of campaign contributions a candidate raises is a telling indicator: Boyd has raised $272,625; Houmans contributions total a $2,500 loan from himself.
Suffice it to say, ultimately electing Boyd would be good for all voters the citizens of District 21 and Florida in general. Given his experience in the House, if elected to the Senate, you can expect Boyd to rise to important leadership positions in the Senate, much like his predecessor, outgoing Senate President Bill Galvano.
We recommend: Jim Boyd
Candidates: Donna Barcomb; Fiona McFarland; Jason Miller
Of all the Republican races on the regions ballots, this one is probably the most watched.
Although there are three candidates vying for the nomination, the race essentially pits Donna Barcomb, a longtime Sarasota civic and community leader and small business owner, against Fiona McFarland, a 34-year-old newcomer to the community who has the credentials of Naval Academy graduate, Navy officer veteran, McKinsey & Co. consultant and daughter of a prominent national Republican and former high-level Trump administration official, K.T. McFarland.
The third candidate is Jason Miller, a deep-rooted Sarasotan (St. Martha School and Cardinal Mooney High graduate) who became a lawyer, served eight years as an assistant state attorney in the 12th Judicial Circuit, is a major in the Army JAG Corps Reserves and now heads litigation with the Najmy Thompson law firm.
For a telling insight into this race, just look at the money. Heres what the candidates have raised as of early July:
Of McFarlands 467 contributors, 52% list an out-of-state address. Of Barcombs 270 contributors, 94% list a Florida address.
The job of a state representative pays $30,000 a year.
Lets cut to the quick: This race is about one candidate seeking to begin her political ascendancy and another who has a three-decade record of service to Sarasota.
And yet, when you hear these two candidates speak on the issues and how they would address them philosophically and practically, there is little that separates them. They are strong free-market, low-regulation, low-taxation conservatives, believers in constitutional liberty, who also embrace Gov. Ron DeSantis efforts to clean up Floridas environment.
Both are qualified candidates, knowledgeable on the wide variety of issues they likely would confront. Indeed, this region and all of Florida would be better off having both of them serving in the Legislature. Unfortunately, only one can win the Republican nomination for the District 72 seat.
Here is what makes the difference for us: Sarasota Memorial Hospital and the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System would not be in existence as an independent hospital and would not be the highly rated hospital that it is today were it not for Donna Barcomb. Whats more, her record of service to the community over the past 30 years has been extraordinary.
McFarland has made an issue of Barcombs voting in favor of raising the hospitals millage rate while serving as an elected member of the hospital board. What McFarland doesnt share is the context.
Barcomb ran for the hospital board somewhat naively and won in 1996. Little did she know as a rookie board member how much distress the hospital was in financially and morale-wise. SMH was consistently losing millions of dollars a year in operations in the late 1990s, with bond-rating agencies lowering the hospitals grade, a move that raised interest rates on the hospitals borrowing and more stress on the hospitals operations.
Whats more, there was public strife between the hospitals then-CEO Michael Covert and the staff, and the hospitals reputation suffered for spotty customer service.
The situation was becoming so grim hospital that board members seriously discussed whether it should sell the institution to a private company. Either thator replace the CEO, increase the hospitals millage rate and attempt a turnaround to remain independent.
Barcomb sided with remaining independent and raising the millage rate. And she was chair of the board when it brought in Dr. Duncan Finlay, a respected Sarasota physician, to replace Covert. Finlay is credited with leading a successful, yearslong effort to improve the hospitals reputation and customer-service ratings.
Then, in 2004, Barcomb was chair of the hospital board committee that recruited Finlays successor, Gwen MacKenzie. MacKenzie in turn recruited David Verinder to be CFO. MacKenzie and Verinder, the current CEO, are largely credited with turning the hospital into the highly rated institution it is today.
At one point in her term as board chair, Barcomb, MacKenzie and Verinder traveled to New York City to meet with Moodys Corp. to discuss the hospitals bond rating. The Moodys representative bluntly told them: Either raise the hospitals millage rate, or Moodys will lower the hospitals bond rating a move that would cost millions in higher interest rates.
McFarland says Barcomb has a saying-and-doing gap in Barcombs position against raising taxes. But when you know the historical context, you can say Barcomb made tough choices 20 years ago that saved and laid the foundation for Sarasota Memorial becoming one of the top hospitals in Florida and the nation and one of the institutional gems of the city.
And she did that after serving years as president of the Southside Elementary School PTA,president of Sarasotas Junior League,head of a statewide Junior League education committee,mother of four sonsand owner-operator of a physical therapy business. Barcomb also is completing her eighth year as an elected member of the Sarasota County Charter Review Board.
All of that demonstrates the kind of passion and commitment to the community that voters want in a legislator.
As for McFarland, there is no question she has the intellect, competence and belief in the liberty philosophy to be an effective legislator. But she made a miscalculation in her quest for the nomination.
McFarland and her husband have been homesteaded residents in Bradenton, which is outside of District 72. They have rented quarters in the district to demonstrate their commitment to Sarasota. But as one longtime Sarasota Republican told us, McFarland underestimates the parochial loyalty Sarasotans have for those who have served the community.
District 72 has been hobbled with two short-term legislators not committed to the seat Republican Alex Miller and Democrat Margaret Good.
The voters in this district deserve a representative who is not looking to advance to the next level. Sarasotans have seen that before. They deserve someone who will stay committed to the district. McFarlands time will come. Barcombs time is now.
We recommend: Donna Barcomb
Candidates: Ed Brodsky (incumbent); Lisa Chittaro
When you examine the 300 contributors (and the $165,900) to the campaign of 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Ed Brodsky, you can quickly see it is a long list of respected, accomplished people from all across Sarasota, Manatee and Desoto counties business owners, sheriffs, retired sheriffs, mayors and Democrats.
They would not support Brodsky if they did not believe he deserved or earned their trust.
Brodsky has spent virtually all of his 28-year legal career as a prosecutor in the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorneys office. With this election, he is seeking his third four-year term as the state attorney and chief prosecutor for the three-county circuit, overseeing 160 employees and $17 million budget.
What matters most to voters, though, is Brodsky and his offices success in helping law enforcement keep the region safe. In the past five years, the total crime rate in Sarasota County has dropped each year; in Manatee, four of the past five years.
Whats more, Brodsky and his office, the regions law enforcement departments, 12th Circuit judges and numerous regional not-for-profit organizations have been among Floridas leaders creating programs that help addicts, homeless, mentally ill and veterans rather than overcrowd county jails.
Brodsky has a respected and qualified opponent in the primary, Lisa Chittaro. She served 15 years with Brodsky as an assistant state attorney. But if elections are indeed referenda on incumbents performance and results, Brodsky has delivered what voters want: a state attorney who enforces the rule of law forcefully and fairly and who pursues innovative programs and strategies with other branches of the legal system to help, rather than merely house, those in need.
We recommend: Ed Brodsky
Candidates: Melissa Gould; Connie Mederos Jacobs; Chris Pratt; Kristy Guy Zinna
Voting for judges is often a puzzle for voters. Such is the case for the Manatee County Judge, Group 4 position.
Judicial candidates cannot take a stand on contentious issues; they are careful to show bias. So the candidates all say the same thing: They will be fair and impartial and follow the law. You take them at their word. But how do your really know?
Then you look at experience. As lawyers, have they spent enough time in the courtroom and handled a wide enough variety of lawsuits to give them the breadth of experience and judgment they will encounter and need as a judge?
In this case, Manatee voters are fortunate to have four well-rounded lawyers in and out of the courtroom vying for the seat. At the same time, you can say voters are somewhat unfortunate: Its a tough choice.
All four candidates have strong, long-time local family roots and admirable records of volunteerism in the community examples: Habitat for Humanity (Connie Mederos Jacobs); delivering groceries to elderly during the pandemic (Melissa Gould); Manatee Tiger Bay board (Kristy Guy Zinna); former little league umpire (Chris Pratt).
Likewise, together they have logged 90 years of courtroom experience in misdemeanor and felony crime cases, family law, criminal defense, civil litigation, animal cruelty, elder law and personal injury law to have the knowledge and wisdom required of a judge. Mederos Jacobs and Pratt have been practicing 30 and 34 years, respectively, while Gould and Zinna each has been practicing 12 years.
To be sure, theres a difference between 30 and 12 years in the courtroom. But when we called on lawyers, judges and law enforcement officials who have seen these candidates in action, the consensus tilted the scales toward Gould and Zinna.
Zinna, who has been in private practice for the past seven years, has served on both sides of the aisle in the courtroom as a prosecutor and as an assistant public defender in the 12th circuit. In both, she earned a reputation as a committed hard worker.
Gould has spent the past eight years as an assistant state attorney, prosecuting a broad spectrum of misdemeanor and felony cases. Prior to the state attorneys office, Gould also gained experience in Michigan in civil litigation, with business and contract law, consumer protection, employee discrimination andprofessional malpractice.
The difference between Gould and Zinna? This is what we repeatedly heard: Gould has the edge the legal intellect, always prepared, committed. But its not just her courtroom experience, we were told. Gould earned a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge in England, and prior to moving to Bradenton, she taught family and constitutional law at Oakland University in Michigan.
We recommend: Melissa Gould
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The Observer's 2020 primary election recommendations - YourObserver.com
