State, County Candidates Focus on the Economy at Forum

Fourteen candidates in contested state, county and one federal race came and shared their message in four minutes with a packed room on Oct. 11 in Largo.

The Central Pinellas Chamber of Commerce hosted the candidate forum at Largo Medical Center's Bilgore Conference Center.

Many of the candidates focused on the effect of the economy on Pinellas County and the need for job creation.

• Pinellas County Sheriff

Sheriff Bob Gualtieri (incumbent) shared the challenges of cutting his department's budget due to the current economy. Despite the cuts the focus remains on public safety and crime is down 12 percent, Gualtieri said. 

"We have had to make a lot of hard decisions that are sometimes unpopular. We just can't do it the same way, we don't have the same funds. We are a much leaner agency," Gualtieri said.

Scott Swope (challenger) said crime was down overall in Florida and he would do a better job getting the arrested off of the streets.

He said he would add several programs back to the sheriff's budget including the fugitive task force, which serves arrest warrants, the DUI enforcement squad, the human trafficking task force detective and the cold case homicide detective.

Neil Brickfield (incumbent) said he would continue to save money in the county through consolidation and greater efficiency.

Brickfield said he would focus on core services the county does best, if the county can't do the service best then he would hire someone else to do the service. He would collaborate with cities in the county and work on job creation.

Janet Long (challenger) said she would leverage her experiences on Seminole City Council, the state legislature and assisting Hurricane Andrew victims to make decisions and understand the county budget.

She said "the big elephant in the room" was how to manage county fire and emergency management services. She emphasized the need to cut out duplicative services and stressed the importance of leadership and common sense.

Janet Clark (incumbent) stressed the importance of "creating a culture of success and an excellent education for every student."

Clark shared gains in improving individual classrooms by spending more money in the school's budget on each classroom. She also said more school decisions are now "site-based" instead of from top down.

Clark also reminded people to vote on the school referendum, which is at the bottom of the ballot. 

Elliott Stern (challenger) is a retired Raymond James executive and volunteer at an underperforming school, which he helped turn around. He said he is running because he is passionate about improving opportunities for children. He said he already has a legacy and is not running as a stepping stone for higher office.

"Every child should have the opportunity to be a life long learner. Every child should have the ability to be a life long earner," he said.

• State Senate, District 20: Jack Latvala (Republican), Ashley M. Rhodes-Courter (Democrat)

Only Latvala (incumbent) attended the forum. He focused on economic development, government consolidation and job creation targeted at "industry specific needs."

"All of us politicians talk about jobs. I (would work) with specific industries in Pinellas County to add new employees," he said.

• : C.W. Bill Young (Republican), Jessica Ehrlich (Democrat)

Only Ehrlich (challenger) spoke at the forum. She also focused on investing in the middle class and research and development to foster job creation.

"Its simply time for a change. We need a fresh approach. This is the most unproductive Congress ... (we need to be) focused on our future. How do we see the future of Pinellas County and Florida? We need a balanced approach, cutting waste, investing in the middle class, investing in research and development to make America a new economic leader," Ehrlich said.

For more information, check out the Safety Harbor Election Guide.