Money spoke loudly in this year’s election By Michael Hinman and B.C. Manion The Laker/Lutz News
He showed up around 6:30 a.m., just as the sun was starting to rise above the horizon. His place was in a side parking lot at Bridgeway Church, located on Wells Road in Wesley Chapel, and he came ready for the day. Nick Burgess put signs up around his pickup truck, touting his older brother Danny Burgess, who was running for Florida House District 38. Nick was staying until polls closed at 7 p.m., and he had brought enough food to tide him over until then, and a restroom just inside the church to help get him through the long day. Burgess was happy to be there, however. He wanted to show support for his brother, who was facing Beverly Ledbetter in the race to replace Will Weatherford in Tallahassee.And he has supported him from the beginning, especially when Danny told his family for the first time that he was going to run. “I’m behind you 100 percent,” Nick told Danny.“The whole family is.That’s what it takes.” The community was behind Danny Burgess as well, giving him 60 percent of the vote and a rather seamless journey from when he was an 18-year-old Zephyrhills City Council member, to the 28-year-old man he is now representing eastern Pasco County in the state House.To do that, however, he had to get past retired educator Beverly Ledbetter, who felt there was a lot she could
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO
Nick Burgess promoted his older brother Danny to voters all day Election Day from the bed of his pickup truck at Bridgeway Church in Wesley Chapel. Danny Burgess won his first state House election with 60 percent of the vote.
do in the Legislature. But if nothing else, she wanted to make sure voters had a choice. “I was excited by the fact that many people, for the first time, were getting involved in the political process,” Ledbetter said. “They were walking neighborhoods, putting up signs, and making phone calls.That is an accomplishment.” While Ledbetter felt she had local support from a dedicated group of people, one place she didn’t get much help from was the Democratic Party — at either the state or local level. Burgess picked up more than $23,000 in support from the Republican
machine, while the other major party chipped in just a little more than $2,000 to Ledbetter’s campaign. “You have to have money to actually get your message out,” Ledbetter said.“Besides your newspaper, none of the other major newspapers covered any of the local races, so people didn’t really get a great deal of information.” She is still trying to figure out why the party virtually ignored this race, which she feels could’ve made a huge statement if Democrats claimed a seat currently held by the Republican House Speaker, Will Weatherford.
“That is part of the problem with people wanting to run, is that the state party gives you absolutely no support,” Ledbetter added. Burgess took 60 percent of the vote, and another Republican — Mike Moore — had about the same success in his race to replace Pasco County commissioner Pat Mulieri. Despite not picking up endorsements from regional news outlets, or Mulieri herself, Moore spent a lot of money to beat Erika Remsberg in the District 2 race. Moore finished with more than 91,000 votes in the race, and paid about $1.82 per vote received. Remsberg had a little more than 63,500 votes, paying out just 17 cents per vote, which shows the rather large gap between fundraising. Remsberg won just 11 percent of the precincts voting by an average of 46 votes, according to unofficial results from the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections office. Her biggest margin was the precinct at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Port Richey, one of the few precincts in the county that has more Democrats than Republicans. Early in her race, Remsberg knew her chances against a well-financed candidate in a Republican-leaning county were not the greatest, but the Land O’ Lakes social worker looked forward to the opportunity to run. “I love going for the underdog,” Remsberg told The Laker/Lutz News back in July. “It’s just that this time it’s me, which is a new experience for me. But I’m good with grassroots efforts and community organization, and I’m getting out wherever I can to share a message of how we all need to work together.”
Election 2014: Voters speak out on issues, candidates By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
It’s a success, at least that’s what Pasco County elections supervisor Brian Corley is calling the Nov. 4 election. More than 162,000 people turned out to vote in the mid-term elections, representing more than 53 percent of registered voters. That beat the 47 percent turnout in the 2010 mid-term election. While votes were still out, and election officials were anxiously waiting to start counting, some voters shared their voting experience, and what issues brought them to the polls. Tommy Seal, 40, of Zephyrhills, accompanied his 18-year-old son, Isaiah Seal, to Alice Hall Community Center in Zephyrhills to cast their ballots. For Isaiah, this was his first
time at the ballot box. Both said they were supporting Rick Scott for governor. “He’s done some good things for the state,” the older Seal said.“He’s helped improve the economy.” However, the two were in disagreement with Amendment 2, the constitutional amendment that would legalize medicinal marijuana — but not in the way one might think. Tommy Seal voted for it. His son didn’t. “Honestly, if you’re in pain, every opportunity to help you, I think, should be available to help you,” the older Seal said. “There’s already problems with drug dealing in Florida,” his son said.“I thought it wouldn’t be wise to support it.” David Sanchez, 59, of Wesley Chapel, took his parents to Alice Hall so they could
vote. He’d already voted earlier himself. Unlike the Seals, Sanchez cast his vote for Charlie Crist, and threw his support behind Amendment 2. “I’m a lifelong Democrat,” Sanchez said. “The Republicans never did anything for me.” His reasons for supporting medical marijuana were personal. “I have two sisters that died from cancer,” he said,“They both suffered.They both looked like concentration camp survivors.” Lauren Butts, 28, of Zephyrhills, went to the polling place to show her support for Danny Burgess, who was running for the state House District 38 seat. “I’ve known him my whole life,” she said. “I wouldn’t trust any candidate more than I trust him.” Dani Stoughtenger, 19, of Zephyrhills, wanted to be sure to make her voice heard. “I’m liberal,” she said.“I voted for Charlie Crist. I voted yes on Amendment 2. I voted for Danny Burgess.” Burgess, however, identifies as a conservative Republican. “He is in the community,” Stoughtenger added.“He’s always been a part of the community. They’re a great family here in the Zephyrhills area. My family is actually friends with the Burgess family.” J.J. Battle, 43, of Wesley Chapel, said he came out to support Crist. “I haven’t been pleased with Rick Scott,” he said. Scott’s refusal to accept federal funds for projects like high-speed rail and other services led to job cuts and reduced services, he said. “I’ve got clients that need help, and I can’t give it to them,” Battle said. He also voted against medical marijuana.
Danielle Westbrook and son, Amos Rivera
“I don’t see a need for it,” he said.“I think it would be overused, and used in the wrong way.” Danielle Westbrook, 30, was at the Wesley Chapel polling place with her son, Amos Rivera, 1. The two issues that stood out for her were the governor’s race and Amendment 2. She supported Adrian Wyllie, the Libertarian candidate for governor. “It’s important for people to know that you can vote for a party besides Democratic or Republican,” she said. Westbrook did support medical marijuana, saying she thinks people who are ill should have that option.
TheLAKER / LutzNEWS PRICE MATCH GUARANTEE Works for Us! Find a lower price? We’ll match it!
‡
Also, at Connect Hearing you automatically get personal, ongoing support for the lifetime of your hearing aid with Connect Advantage including: • 2-Week Free Hearing Aid Trial* • 3 Year Warranty and 3 Year Loss & Damage** • 0% Financing† • 3 years of free batteries††
“Our ad came out on Wednesday and we sold two tractors by Thursday morning. The return on investment of our Laker ad is absolutely incredible. Also, I love working with our sales rep Terri. She's great!”
Stay Connected. Call or visit us today! 1.888.4CONNECT • connecthearing.com
Call me for a reference. 727-638-0110 ~Paul Sciriha, General Manager
(1.888.426.6632)
Clermont Lady Lake
CONNECT HEARING
Tavares Deland
New Port Richey Orlando New Smyrna Ormond Beach
1-888-463-0014
Port Orange Palm Coast
*Certain types of hearing loss may require a hearing aid model that is not appropriate for the Two Week Free Trial. See center for details. Lyric excluded. ‡ As a member of the Connect Hearing network, if we don’t already have the lowest price, we will match any valid competitor quote or advertised price on hearing aids within 60 days of purchase. † 0% financing offer is subject to credit approval. If at the time of your application you do not meet the credit criteria previously established for this offer, or the income you report is insufficient based on your obligations, we may not be able to offer this financing. Complimentary hearing screening and consultation required. Some restrictions apply. **The 3 year warranty is valid starting from the date of invoice. This limited warranty covers manufacturing and material defects in the hearing aid itself, but not accessories such as batteries, tubes, ear modules, external receivers. The warranty includes 3 year loss and damage coverage that can be redeemed ONE TIME and requires a deductible of $450. ††3 years FREE batteries with hearing aid purchase.
2A
November 12, 2014
www.LakerLutzNews.com
3827 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Highway 41 • Land O’ Lakes
(813) 995-2533 • 1-800-613-6777
www.GulfCoastTractor.com TheLAKER / LutzNEWS Community News Publications
813.909.2800 • www.lakerlutznews.com Award-winning stories and ads that bring local businesses more customers. Call today if you want to increase your sales.