Now that the primaries are over, three final candidates are left to vie for the Florida House of Representatives District 32 seat, vacated by Rep. Bob Allen.
Republican candidate Sean Campbell, 52, of Merritt Island; Democratic candidate Tony Sasso, 54, of Cocoa Beach; and independent candidate Jerry Maynard, 53, of Titusville, will face one another in a special general election Feb. 26.
Hometown News has given the candidates a forum to express their views on key issues. Each candidate was given 75 words or less to answer the following three questions:
What role do you think the state should play in the regulation of immigration?
. All states must deal with the situation where the federal government is continually deferring the regulation of immigration. Florida must do what it can to ensure legal immigrants are viewed as assets, not liabilities. Those who illegally immigrate to our state and into our communities must not be rewarded. I will always fight in the Legislature to end the surge of illegal immigrants into our state, deny them taxpayer-funded benefits, protect our economy and families.
- Sean Campbell
. As a conservative, I believe the role of state government should be to enforce current immigration laws and protect citizens. Powerful special interest groups (those insinuating racial bias, defending "rights" of illegals, prefer low wages to high moral ground in their business practices) make enforcement difficult. Legal immigration should be encouraged, but illegal immigration should be deterred. Arizona law suspends business licenses of employers who knowingly hire undocumented workers. On second offense, licenses are revoked. - Jerry Maynard
States should do more to stop illegal immigration, but we must also be conservative with our citizens' tax dollars. As long as there are businesses that will hire illegal immigrants, they will keep coming. I support eliminating the loophole that allows day-labor companies to hire workers without checking their legal status. Also, FDLE should implement a statewide database for tracking illegal immigrants who commit crimes in our communities. - Tony Sasso
How can the Florida Legislature assist cities and counties while transitioning to the new property tax program?
. The Legislature can lead by example by continuing to find ways to reduce the state's budget without sacrificing the needs of its citizenry. The Legislature can ensure cities and counties comply with their own budgetary plans without taking on the budgetary responsibilities of any local government. I will work diligently to strike a healthy balance between reducing the tax burden on Florida families and businesses, while protecting services that keep us safe in our communities.
- Sean Campbell
. There shouldn't be a need for assistance from the Legislature. If governments fail to amend their budgets and provide needed services to communities, I suspect the county commissioners would raise the millage rate and property taxes would return to pre-amendment levels or higher. The solution may be to raise the sales tax 2 cents on the dollar and do away with property tax completely. Making government better stewards with our money; keeping the tax burden on Florida families low, is key. - Jerry Maynard
. The recent property tax reform will force local governments to take a hard look at where our tax dollars are going, and all levels of government could stand to tighten up on spending. If elected, I'll work to ensure that the Florida Legislature holds itself to the same standard of fiscal discipline as it expects cities and counties to live by. Passing real insurance reform to stop skyrocketing insurance rates would also help local governments.
- Tony Sasso
How will you protect workers during the gap between the Shuttle and Aries programs?
. I pledge to protect workers by helping attract new businesses from the private sector to enhance and compliment our unique job environment. I'll work to research and reach out to companies that can begin where the space program leaves off. We must make every effort to keep our community intact, prepare our workforce for the job market of the future and maintain Florida as the home-base for the cutting edge of space exploration and technology.
- Sean Campbell
. Funding for NASA is a federal issue, currently promoted by U.S. Rep. Dave Weldon. I'll follow his lead in this area. It's proposed that the space shuttle fly beyond its scheduled retirement as a matter of national security. Our goal is to close the gap between the shuttle and its replacement, while continuing to have launch capability. Recent funding for NASA has steadily declined. It may be time to investigate privatization of our space program. - Jerry Maynard
. We need to work with our colleges and universities to bring in new high-tech jobs and create a "feeder system" of new high-tech and space workers to help ease the transition between shuttle and Constellation programs, while at the same time, create a private sector demand for these jobs so we are not as susceptible to the ups and downs of government funding and programs. - Tony Sasso