Florida Today Endorses Tony Sasso in House District 32 Special Election

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Florida Today Editorial

February 13, 2008

Sasso has the knowledge and experience to represent citizens in House District 32

Space Coast voters go to the polls Feb. 26 in a special election to fill a vacant seat in the Legislature.

It's in House District 32 where scandal forced Republican Rep. Bob Allen from office. The district includes parts of Brevard and Orange counties, with NASA's Kennedy Space Center within its boundaries.

State lawmakers face extremely hard problems when they return to work next month, with a sinking economy forcing deep budget cuts and unfinished tax and insurance reform topping the agenda.

The citizens in District 32 need someone with experience and a solid knowledge of the issues to hit the ground running. They've got it in Democrat Tony Sasso, who offers the kind of moderate, bipartisan leadership that Republican and independent voters should recognize and support.

Sasso has spent the past six years as a member of the Cocoa Beach City Commission, where he developed the reputation as a hard-working official who listened to his constituents and practiced what he calls "open, honest, straight-forward government."

He pushed for televised commission meetings, more town hall gatherings and helped get the city to join the Economic Development Commission of Florida's Space Coast -- the kind of inclusive outreach that voters expect and which serves the community well.

Sasso, a marine engineer, also served as vice chair of the Space Coast League of Cities. That put him at the center of the meat-and-potato issues that District 32 residents care about most. He's done his homework on all of them:

• He understands the public's tax revolt sentiment but also the impact tax cuts will have on local services and education -- an insight that would serve citizens well in Tallahassee.
• He says the state must "get its act together" to help lure post-shuttle industries and jobs to Kennedy Space Center, and wisely wants the Legislature to create a public-private aerospace and high-technology investment fund.
• He's a leader in environmental protection, pressing hard for growth management and passage of the Clean Oceans Act that would ban Port Canaveral gambling ships from dumping their waste off our coast.
• He believes the Legislature must get tough with insurance companies that continue canceling policies, raising rates and dumping more risk on consumers through the state's catastrophe fund.

The other candidates in the race are Republican Sean Campbell of Merritt Island and Independent Jerry Maynard of Titusville.

Campbell, who runs a company that provides labor primarily for commercial and industrial construction, has a sincere desire to serve.

But he has a troubling lack of knowledge about key issues such as creating space jobs, improving education and revising tax policy. He also believes the Legislature is exempt from the Sunshine Laws that guarantee open government and the public's access to it, which should worry everyone.

There's no way he's ready for Tallahassee.

Maynard declined requests to meet with FLORIDA TODAY's editorial board to discuss his views.

Sasso is far and away the best candidate with a proven record as a public servant who knows how to work across the aisle. He can represent District 32 voters of all parties, which earns him our recommendation.

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23 North Orlando Ave.
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321-406-1146

Mailing Address
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Cocoa Beach, FL 32932

Campaign Website

www.ElectTonySasso.org