Last Thursday the North Andrews Neighborhood Association held a candidates forum at the North Andrews Community Center. The seats up for election on November 2 include county and state positions. The candidates who kindly showed up in person were: Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed (incumbent state rep), Chris Chiari (for Broward District 4), Chip LaMarca (for Dist 4, current Lighthouse Point comm), and Kelly Skidmore (for State Senate). Miranda Rosenberg, Ellyn Bogdanoff, and County Mayor Ken Keechl sent representatives in their place, a matter frequently pointed out by the attending candidates.
The in-person candidates stated their positions and fielded questions, at times disputing each other's answers. The topics covered included State debt, pill mills, immigration, and the economy. Their pitches:
-Clarke-Reed: Waiting to see what legislature looks like after Nov 2; focused on education and unemployment. "FCAT needs to go."
-LaMarca: Graduate of Northeast High; pointed out Keechl was at a fundraiser rather than attend the forum, bemoaned Keechl's lavish spending on attack ads. Wants moratorium on taxes on new businesses.
-Chiari: Touted his background in business; independent; Yes on Amendment 4. Incentives for new industries in Broward. Wants to invest tens of millions on solar panels atop government buildings.
-Skidmore (who arrived late from another event): Says budget process controlled by too few people; proposes looking at all programs for cuts; wants more money for teachers. Tax exemptions for businesses to create jobs.
The representatives for the non-attending candidates were an incongruous bunch, from Keechl's flip-flop wearing rep to Bogdanoff's erudite rep to Rosenberg's a la Miss Teen South Carolina ('future children will be performing jobs that have not even been created') and kept referring to a website.
Well-done to NANA for hosting another informative candidates forum.
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