East Pasco is gearing up to elect a new representative for District 38.
The candidates, Beverly Ledbetter (Democrat) and Danny Burgess (Republican) will compete to replace Will Weatherford on Nov. 4 during the official 2014 election.
Representatives meet with and listen to the concerns of people within their district and craft budgets to deal with state issues such as business and education. The Florida House of Representatives is composed of 120 elected officials. Each one represents the people of their district. They serve two year terms and are limited to four consecutive terms. Legislature meets 60 days a year to adopt a budget for the state and create new laws.
Here are introductions to the candidates for district 38:
Burgess
Burgess was born and raised in Zephyrhills. He attended the University of South Florida for a degree in political science. During his freshman year, he ran for city council of Zephyrhills. He won, becoming the youngest elected official in the state of Florida at the early age of 18. He held two terms under that position before resigning. He then attended Berry Law School in Orlando, gaining a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. After college, Burgess began active training in the Army at Fort Benning, VA. When he returned, he ran for mayor in Zephyrhills and won unopposed. He served as the youngest mayor of Zephyrhills for one year and has chosen not to seek reelection due to the upcoming Nov. 4 election. To him, East Pasco is a very special place.
“I think what’s beautiful about the race is that you have two people running for office and they’re both extremely local. They both love this community very much and maybe just disagree on issues. If only race could be that way, it’s the way it should be,” said Danny Burgess.
He also has strong opinions on education and jobs in the region.
“Our education and educators are one of the most important facets of our society, and I’m a big believer in vocational opportunities because not everyone is college bound, nor should they be expected to be. We need to make sure students walk out of high school with a certificate qualifying them for the work force in a specific field. I will always have an eye out for how the decisions we make will financially impact our cities and make sure it does not provide a deprivement to serving the people at a local level. I believe in less regulation on business. The more freedom the market has the better it will be because it promotes competition and builds our economy, giving businesses the opportunity to thrive,” said Burgess.
You can meet and greet the candidates and county commission on Oct. 20 at East Pasco Adventist Academy from 6 PM to 9 PM. During this time, the candidates will also answer questions and explain the main points of focus for their candidacy.
Early voting for the general election will run from Oct. 25 through Nov. 1.
Ledbetter
Ledbetter was born in Virginia and became part of the community of Dade City in 1973. She taught at Pasco Junior High School for eleven years. After that, she taught social studies at Pasco High School for 25 years and coached boys soccer (undefeated), girls soccer, track and cross country. She has also been named Florida Economic Teacher of the Year, Florida Global Studies Teacher of the Year, and was a Federal Education Association (FEA) finalist for Teacher of the Year. Ever since coming to East Pasco, she has loved its values and its people.
“District 38 is a diverse district- from the rolling hills of northeast Pasco, the small towns of San Antonio, Saint Leo, Dade City and Zephyrhills, to the more urban Wesley Chapel area. The district is united by a sense of community,” said Beverly Ledbetter.
She is especially concerned with the region’s education.
“I believe in a fully funded public education. It is the great equalizer of our society. I pledge to protect and increase real funding for our public schools. I am opposed to the privatization of our schools which are funded by our tax dollars,” she said.
According to her website, Ledbetter also has strong opinions of jobs in East Pasco.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and a creator of jobs in Pasco County. To attract businesses to our area, we must maintain and invest in our area’s infrastructure. I believe Florida’s Laws should be written by Florida lawmakers for the benefit of Floridians, not out of state huge corporations at the expense of our small businesses and our tax dollars,” said Ledbetter.
For voting information including your local precinct and to request to vote by mail, please visit pascovotes.com.
For more information on the candidates, please visit:
http://www.beverlyledbetter.com/
http://votedannyburgess.com/
