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Hillsborough Voters Due Better Choice

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 21, 2008

Hillsborough's legislative delegation has a reputation for being weak and easy to ignore in Tallahassee because it lacks the influence and leadership needed to make things happen.

So when Rep. Trey Traviesa announced he would not seek re-election - all too conveniently after qualifying had ended - local Republican Party leaders should have picked a replacement candidate with a record of accomplishment.

Instead, they picked the least-experienced applicant, Traviesa's 26-year-old aide, Rachel Burgin, who spoke about two issues with the media: outlawing abortion and funding faith-based groups.
Burgin may be a capable assistant with good intentions, but she's hardly got the experience to help solve the dire challenges facing this state. Besides working with Traviesa, she's had a summer internship at the White House's Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives and was once an aide to Hillsborough Commissioner Brian Blair. She is working toward a bachelor's degree at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.

Other far more experienced applicants - including former state Rep. Sandy Murman, political consultant Mark Proctor and Ron Pierce, former policy director to past Senate President Tom Lee - could have hit the ground running as the party's nominee in State House District 56.

Instead, county party chairman David Storck and Carol Carter, Hillsborough's GOP state committeewoman, picked someone who promises to "lean on the advice of those within the Republican Party." In other words, they chose someone with an ideological agenda, not a problem-solving agenda. And because she's running in a district drawn to favor Republicans - it covers large part of east Hillsborough and a small portion of south Tampa - she will likely win.

Taxpayers deserve more than a puppet placeholder in these challenging times.

The responsibility for denying voters a real choice rests squarely with Traviesa, who selfishly timed his announcement to ensure that quality Republican candidates couldn't file to run. No one is buying that he woke up one morning and realized he couldn't juggle the demands of public service. Traviesa should have done the honorable thing and dropped out earlier.

Now, the Democrats are trying to dump the one guy - Lewis Laricchia - who was willing to wage a hopeless campaign against Traviesa. As it turns out, Laricchia wasn't registered as a Democrat when he qualified to run, though he signed a sworn statement saying he was.

If Laricchia believes in serving the district's constituency, he'll drop out and allow a competitive election.

Hillsborough's legislative delegation needs muscle, not someone who stands and salutes a party's line.

Local Republican leaders may think they have their young woman in place, but what they've done is ensure our delegation continues its weak-kneed ways.

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