Conservative Candidate Endorsements and Recommendations for Florida and Saint Lucie County

Personal Endorsements and Recommendations

Several have asked me to provide a list of candidates I’m endorsing and/or supporting in the general election. I am going to provide this list for Federal, State, and St Lucie County Races. My decision to endorse or support a candidate is my own decision and does not indicate the support or endorsement of any organization I am associated with. In some races, there is no clear cut conservative, or not enough information is available at this time to make a recommendation. In such cases, I will either tell you who I’m voting for or provide any insight I have into the candidates and point you to other sources. I will support a candidate if I feel that he/she is the best candidate for the position and holds to conservative values. I reserve endorsements only for those candidates who are clearly fiscal and social conservatives based on their survey responses, their record, and other indicators. I will only endorse candidates who are 100% prolife which means they support the proposed Florida Personhood Amendment which will give constitutional rights to preborn children, oppose funding Planned Parenthood and medical organizations that provide abortion counseling, and oppose condom ed. In the end however, you are responsible for your vote. Please do your homework, and vote your values.

I do apologize in advance for the length of this. I do normally try to keep e-mails brief; however, the nature of this subject requires space to explain. I also have listed my recommendations at the beginning and have attached a sample ballot you can print and take with you to the polls. (View the sample ballot here: http://bryanlongworth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/2010-St-Lucie-County-Sample-Ballot.pdf.)On some but not all races, I will offer commentary at the below my recommendations. Feel free to forward this to friends as well. Future E-mails will list names and recommendations only, so I won’t bombard you with volumes of information every day.

Florida Supreme Court and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th District Court of Appeals Judges Up for Retention: http://bryanlongworth.com/2010/10/21/florida-supreme-court-and-4th-district-court-of-appeals-judges-up-for-retention/

Florida Constitutional Amendment Recommendations: http://bryanlongworth.com/2010/10/16/florida-constitutional-amendment-recomendations/

Federal Races

US Senate – I support Marco Rubio for US Senate and ask you to vote for Marco Rubio November 2 or sooner.

Representative in Congress District 16 – I endorse Tom Rooney for Congress District 16 and ask you to vote for Tom Rooney November 2 or sooner.

Representative in Congress District 23 – I endorse Bernard Sansaricq for Congress District 23 and ask you to vote for Bernard Sansaricq November 2 or sooner.

Florida

Governor and Lieutenant Governor – I support Rick Scott and Jennifer Carroll and ask you to vote for Rick Scott and Jennifer Carroll November 2 or sooner.

Attorney General – I support Pam Bondi and ask you to vote for Pam Bondi November 2 or sooner.

Chief Financial Officer – I support Jeff Atwater and ask you to vote for Jeff Atwater November 2 or sooner.

Commissioner of Agriculture – I support Adam H. Putnam and ask you to vote for Adam H. Putnam November 2 or sooner.

State Representative District 81 – Vote for Gayle Harrell November 2 or sooner.

Martin County

Appointed Superintendent of Schools – Vote No November 2 or sooner.

City of Fort Pierce

Changing Fort Pierce City Election Dates from Odd Numbered Years to Even Numbered Years – Vote Yes November 2 or sooner.

St. Lucie West

St. Lucie West Services District Referendum – Vote No November 2 or sooner.

Saint Lucie County

County Commission District 2 – I endorse Tod Mowery and ask you to vote for Tod Mowery November 2 or sooner.

County Commission District 4 – See comments below.

School Board Member District 1 – Vote for Kerryane Monahan November 2 or sooner.

School Board Member District 3 – See comments below.

Referendum Regarding Continuing for Two Years 0.25 Mill Levy for Critical Needs of School District – vote No November 2 or sooner.

City of Port Saint Lucie

City of Port St Lucie Mayor – See comments below.

City of Port Saint Lucie City Council District 1 – I endorse Carl Iken and ask you to vote for Carl Iken November 2 or sooner.

City of Port Saint Lucie City Council District 3 – Vote for Joe Diskin November 2 or sooner.

City of Port St Lucie Referendum, Authority to Grant Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions – vote Yes November 2 or sooner.

Federal Races

United States Senate

This race features Tea Party favorite Marco Rubio, our infamous Governor Charlie Crist, and Congressman Kendrick Meeks. Both Meeks and Crist supported and campaigned for Obama’s stimulus bill. While there are candidates who are more conservative than Rubio, I have supported Rubio since prior to his entering of the race and serve as his Faith and Values Coordinator for Saint Lucie County. I have done so and continue to do so because Rubio is our best chance of throwing “Stimulus” Charlie an early retirement party. Crist’s endorsement of Progressive Presidential Candidate John McCain, sealed his victory. Crist is responsible for the liberal leaning of Florida’s Supreme Court having nominating two justices, Justice Labarga and Justice Perry, that cast the deciding votes to remove Amendment 9 from the Florida ballot. Crist also vetoed the ultrasound bill. This bill could easily have been supported by prochoice individuals. It is also no secret that Crist made several decisions in the last year based solely on what he felt was best for his own political career, not the State of Florida. Marco Rubio is the only candidate capable of beating Crist. Marco also currently has a double digit lead, but don’t get complacent. Former President Bill Clinton just asked Meeks to drop out of the race. If he does, Crist may waltz into this seat and run for President in 2012 on our dime!

I support Marco Rubio for US Senate and ask you to vote for Marco Rubio November 2 or sooner.

Representative in Congress District 16

In the 2008 primary, I endorsed Tom Rooney for this seat. Rooney won, and while I haven’t agreed with every vote of his, Rooney has served our district with honor and has been willing to listen and even change his position if he’s made a bad vote. Rooney has championed conservative values and fought and voted against Obama’s stimulus plan and Obama care. With a Republican majority in the House, Rooney will continue to fight for the values we hold dear.

I endorse Tom Rooney for Congress District 16 and ask you to vote for Tom Rooney November 2 or sooner.

Representative in Congress District 23

Congressman Alcee Hastings currently represents District 23 in Congress. Hasting previously served as US District Judge in the Southern District of Florida. Hastings was impeached by a Democratic controlled US House of Representatives for receiving a $150,000 bribe in exchange for leniency in sentencing a man convicted of 21 counts of racketeering. District 23 has been Gerrymandered in such a way that someone as corrupt as Hastings has been elected to serve in Congress 9 terms! Bernard Sansaricq is a solid fiscal and social conservative. Sansaricq is prolife and has signed Florida’s Personhood petition which will give constitutional rights to preborn children.

I endorse Bernard Sansaricq for Congress District 23 and ask you to vote for Bernard Sansaricq November 2 or sooner.

Florida

State Representative District 81

The District 81 race features Republican Gayle Harrell and Democrat Adam Fetterman. Fetterman is a one term incumbent, but Harrell served in this seat for the previous eight years. To his credit, Fetterman has been a fiscal conservative. In fact, he fought against the wasteful “Train to Nowhere” that Republicans pushed through the House and Senate in a special session in order to get Federal stimulus money. Fetterman has shown a strong opposition to the prolife movement however, and life trumps all rights. If you don’t have a right to life, all other rights are meaningless.

Unfortunately, Harrell’s record on life is less than perfect. While in the FL House, Harrell cast the deciding vote against the infant born alive act of 2002 which would have required abortion clinics to save the lives of any babies born alive in an attempted abortion. (Read a copy of the Infant Born Alive Act that Harrell’s vote killed in committee: http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Documents/loaddoc.aspx?FileName=_h1211__.html&DocumentType=Bill&BillNumber=1211&Session=2002.)Harrell’s rationale is that the bill would have require that death certificates be issued in cases of miscarriage. As someone who has worked in the prolife movement for years, I don’t know of any prolifer who would have a problem with this. I also don’t know of any mother who has lost a baby through miscarriage who believes anything other than that she lost a human child from the miscarriage. Fetterman’s has not simply opposed the prolife movement, he has shown antagonism toward it. Harrell isn’t where we’d like her to be, but she’s not antagonistic to life. Harrell also completed the Christian Coalition Candidate Survey. Fetterman did not. Vote for Gayle Harrell.

Vote for Gayle Harrell November 2 or sooner.

Martin County

Appointed Superintendent of Schools

Having an appointed versus elected school superintendent has many pros and cons; however, an elected superintendent is easier for voters to change than an appointed one. Martin County voters have been able to elect a conservative superintendent that has helped stop the tax funding the Children’s Services Council in Martin County had been giving Planned Parenthood. Read Chuck Winn’s guest column here: http://www.redcounty.com/content/guest-column-martin-county-values-voters-should-vote-no-appointed-superintendent-chuck-winn

Vote No November 2 or sooner.

City of Fort Pierce Referendum

Changing Fort Pierce City Election Dates from Odd Numbered Years to Even Numbered Years

This referendum would change election years to coincide with regularly scheduled elections instead of occurring in off years. This will save tax payers money, increase voter participation, and decrease the influence of Fort Pierce’s union employees in determining political positions. I ask you to vote yes.

Vote Yes November 2 or sooner.

St. Lucie West

St. Lucie West Services District Referendum

If this referendum passes, utilities board members will receive $6,000 per year in compensation. This compensations will of course be paid for by the citizens of Saint Lucie West. The district is a small district and doesn’t warrant paid salaries for board members. Moreover, public service should be just that, public service. Keeping the district’s board members as unpaid positions will keep these positions as public service. Vote no November 2 or sooner.

Vote No November 2 or sooner.

Saint Lucie County

St Lucie County Commission District 2

This race is the perfect race for conservatives because it features two conservatives, Republican Candidate Tod Mowery and Democratic Candidate Ken Waters. I have known Waters for years and have found him to be an honorable man. Waters was running on TEA Party principles before there was a TEA Party. I did support Waters in the Democratic primary. Waters answers on this year’s Christian Coalition Candidate Survey showed that he has moved toward the middle on some issues however.

Tod Mowery has managed cities in cash strapped Michigan. He knows how to balance budgets with limited funds, even if doing so requires consolidation or community volunteers. This perspective is a breath of fresh air in an environment where our politicians threaten to cut essential services, raise taxes, or both. Mowery’s answers on the Christian Coalition Candidate Survey also show that he is both a fiscal and social conservative. I endorse Tod Mowery and ask you to vote for him November 2 or sooner.

I endorse Tod Mowery and ask you to vote for him November 2 or sooner.

St Lucie County Commission District 4

Neither candidates answered the Saint Lucie County Christian Coalition Candidate Survey.

No Recommendation. Watch the Saint Lucie County League of Women Voters Decision 2010 General Election Forum Video: http://stluciefl.iqm2.com/Citizens/VideoScreen.aspx?MediaURL=mms://Media2.IQM2.com/a1607/o21/StLucieFL/1742.wmv

St Lucie County School Board District 1

I support neither candidate but will vote for Kerryane Monahan who was the only candidate to answer the St Lucie County Christian Coalition Candidate  Survey. Vote for Kerryane Monahan November 2.

Vote for Kerryane Monahan November 2.

St Lucie County School Board District 3

This races features Donna Mills and Teri Pinney. In addition to academic proficiency, one of the most important issues for the values community is whether our schools will continue to teach our children that condoms will protect them from HIV and other STDs. Pinney took a very strong pro-abstinence stance in the TC Palm Candidate Questionnaire. Having known Donna Mills for many years and her ministry, I assumed that she would take a similar stance, however, I was shocked to find that Mills supported condom ed. Mills later limited condom education to 11th and 12th grades in the Saint Lucie County Christian Coalition Candidate Survey. Interestingly enough, Pinney moved in the opposite direction to support condom ed in the Christian Coalition Survey. Both candidates have stated that they oppose the video currently shown in St Lucie County Schools that demonstrates condom usage.

Dr Mike Hofstee presented both candidates with five questions in an effort to determine which candidate to support. (View the questions here: http://bryanlongworth.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/2010-District-3-Candidate-Questionnaire.pdf) Hofstee and I met with Mills who verbally agreed with our positions on the questions but reserved the right to change her mind and wouldn’t sign a statement indicating her position. Both Hofstee and I attempted to arrange a meeting with Pinney without success. Neither candidate returned or signed the questionnaire. Consequently, I make no recommendation and refer you to the Christian Coalition Voter Guide.

No recommendation: See the Christian Coalition Voter Guide at www.FLVotesValues.com.

Watch the Saint Lucie County League of Women Voters Decision 2010 General Election Forum Video: http://stluciefl.iqm2.com/Citizens/VideoScreen.aspx?MediaURL=mms://Media2.IQM2.com/a1607/o21/StLucieFL/1742.wmv

Referendum Regarding Continuing for Two Years 0.25 Mill Levy for Critical Needs of School District.

If this referendum passes, a 0.25 mill levy will continue to be assessed against property in St Lucie County for the funding of public schools. One thing is certain with the public school system: if you give them the money, they will spend it. Until recently, our school district spent $20,000.00 to “educate” each child. Compare this to $6,500.00 for Morningside Academy and $7,500.00 for John Carol High School, both of which do a superior job of educating compared with public schools. With the economic downturn, the St Lucie County School District has been forced to cut it’s budget. Amazingly, they have found millions of dollars being wasted in busing and other areas. If the didn’t have to make the cuts, they’d still be wasting that money. Vote No November 2 or sooner.

Vote No November 2 or sooner.

City of Port St Lucie Mayor

The Mayor’s race in Port Saint Lucie is a difficult one even as it was in the primary. Christopher Cooper appears to be a social conservative on the Christian Coalition Voter Guide; however, Cooper was a part of growing the City’s budget from 200,000,000 to nearly 900,000,000 and saddling the City with debt to fund various city projects, including the city golf course and the Civic Center, both of which operate at a loss each year. Had the current city council not grown the size of government as fast as they did, they wouldn’t need to cut back now. Cooper also answered on his candidate survey that he supports having a nativity and menorah as a part of Christmas/Hanukkah celebrations; however, he opposed it when the issue came before the city council. Anyone who wants more big government and more taxes should consider voting for Cooper. I do not support Cooper.

Joann Faiella answered the Christian Coalition Candidate Survey fairly conservatively. I also attended a meeting with her and area pastors and conservative leaders. I was impressed with her and her stand on most social issues. However, she does work for the police department and is the union’s hand picked candidate. I fear that she may make contracts with city employees that are unsustainable. Of course, Cooper has already done this. She also opposed Amendment 4 in the Christian Coalition Candidate Survey but seems to support it in the Scripps/TC Palm candidate questionnaire. Faiella failed to answer the roll back rate question on the Scripps/TC Palm candidate questionnaire. Faiella answered on the Christian Coalition Candidate Survey that she would support to contracting with medical providers that also offer abortion counseling, but in the pastor’s meeting, she said that the counseling should be from a prolife perspective. If elected, citizens of PSL will need to keep a close eye on Faiella to make sure she keeps her word by reducing the size of government.

Faiella has recently received bad press over the announcement that the State is looking into possible campaign finance charges. (Of course, Cooper has had more than his share of bad publicity as well.) We should remember that in America, we are innocent until proven guilty.  Faiella has stated that she did correct the errors with amended reports prior to the allegations being made. It should be noted also that errors in finance reports and amended reports are common among even candidates who try to follow the letter of the law and that the threshold for determining whether for the state to look into charges is fairly low. Moreover, even if Faiella is charged and then convicted of campaign finance charges, the allegations thus far are no where near as serous as those that recently landed our former mayor in jail. I would not let these allegations keep me from voting for Faiella; however, you be the judge.

I invite you to refer to the Christian Coalition Voter Guide (www.FLVotesValues.com), my comments here, and other resources to determine which candidate to support.

City of Port St Lucie City Council District 1

This race thankfully has a clear conservative, Carl Iken. Iken is a founding member of the Treasure Coast TEA Party who will work to reign in wasteful spending. Iken is also a social conservative though perhaps for different reasons than me. I am confident that Carl Iken truly believes in limited government and will fight to bring fiscal and social conservative values to government on a city level. I also love Carl’s slogan and website: www.IkenDoIt.com!

I endorse Carl Iken for City of Port St Lucie City Council District 1, and I ask you to vote for Carl Iken August 24.

City of Port St Lucie City Council District 3

Neither candidate here is consistently conservative either on social or fiscal issues; however, Joe Diskin appears more conservative than his challenger. Vote for Joe Diskin November 2 or sooner.

Vote for Joe Diskin November 2 or sooner.

City of Port St Lucie Referendum, Authority to Grant Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax Exemptions

While the current city council has given too much money to companies that have to date provided little in return, tax exemptions can be an effective tool to attract new businesses to Port St Lucie. In addition to hiring workers, businesses pay more in taxes than they use in services. A temporary reduction in taxes should not be a problem as long as the taxpayers aren’t funding the services provided to the businesses. Changing the council members will prevent the same types of corporate giveaways PSL mentioned above. Vote Yes November 2 or sooner.

Vote Yes November 2 or sooner.