Two Democrats spar for Feeney's seat in Congress

By Pat Hatfield
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Aug 11, 2008 - 6:24:02pm

Suzanne Kosmas, who represented Southeast Volusia County in the Florida Legislature, is familiar to many Democrats as she now seeks a seat in the U.S. Congress.

But Clint Curtis, her Democratic opponent in the Aug. 26 primary, said it's time for a change. "It's time to elect a progressive Democrat," Curtis said.

Kosmas, 64, and Curtis, 49, are seeking the District 24 seat in Congress currently occupied by Republican Tom Feeney. Feeney faces a primary challenge from Republican Jason Paul Davis of Port Orange.

The congressional district stretches across parts of Volusia, Brevard, Seminole and Orange counties.

Democrats who live in District 24 will cast ballots Aug. 26 to decide which member of their party will face the Republican challenger in November.

Curtis called Kosmas a "conservative blue-dog Democrat." He said "She could change her name to Republican and never have to change a vote."

Kosmas, in return, might ask, "Curtis who?"

She said she doesn't know Curtis.

"I am running as a Democrat," Kosmas said. She pointed to eight years of service in the Florida Legislature.

Kosmas said she does "reach across the aisle to find common-sense solutions," something rare in Congress.

Their backgrounds are miles apart.

Kosmas, whose name has been familiar to Volusia voters for years, is a planner and developer who's owned Prestige Properties in New Smyrna Beach since 1979.

She described herself as active in the community for 30 years, the grandmother of four children who grew up in the district. Divorced, she has four grown children: Paul, 42, Michael, 40, Donald, 39, and Kristen, 38.

Instead of on Curtis, Kosmas' campaign is already fixed on Feeney. She accused him of "partisan polarization," and of voting the Republican party line 98 percent of the time in the past year.

The economy will be a priority for Kosmas. That includes finding a way to preserve jobs, especially in the district. Feeney has been ineffective in keeping jobs at the Space Center, she said.

Controlling gas prices is another part of addressing the economy, because the price at the pump affects almost every other part of the economy. Kosmas wants to reduce dependence on foreign oil and develop alternative energy sources. That's critical to national security as well as to the economy, she said.

In the meantime, she suggested, strategic national gas reserves might be tapped.

Curtis challenged Kosmas' stance on Iraq.

When she was in the Florida House, he noted, she co-sponsored House Resolution 9033, supporting the war in Iraq.

House Resolution 9033, adopted March 21, 2003, pledged "support of President Bush in his stand against Saddam Hussein."

Kosmas is listed as a co-sponsor. She said she opposed sending in troops before they went to Iraq.

Curtis turned Democrat

Like Kosmas, Curtis has his sights set on Feeney.

Curtis said he's a Democrat because of the Republican congressman.

A software engineer, Curtis formerly worked for Yang Enterprises in Oviedo. Feeney was Yang's attorney.

In 2000, Curtis said, the congressman asked Curtis to build a prototype touch-screen computer that could "flip" code, changing the vote tally.

At the time, Curtis said, "I thought he wanted it for stopping it, then found out it was for flipping the vote in South Florida."

He began blowing the whistle on vote fraud.

"I testified to all this," Curtis said, going before the Conyers Voting Forum in 2004.

Feeney has consistently denied ever even talking to Curtis. Yang Enterprises said Curtis was a disgruntled former employee.

Curtis said his whistle-blowing helped the movement to scrap touch-screen voting machines in Florida.

It is very easy to manipulate these machines, he said, to get the desired election result, and never leave a trace.

Curtis ran against Feeney in 2006 and got 42 percent of the vote. He considers it a learning experience. Curtis said he's ready to run against Feeney again.

"If I get elected and we get five more Democrats, we can control the House," Curtis said, and get things accomplished.

Like Kosmas, Curtis is focused on energy independence. He said it has been talked about for 20 years now, but still hasn't been achieved.

He's looking at a prototype car engine that would run on an algae-diesel system, for example.

Algae's something that grows readily in Florida, and the concept is no longer just theoretical, Curtis said.

The cost of this fuel is projected at $25 a barrel, or 43 cents a gallon.

Curtis wants to convert a thousand or so cars to the new technology, to prove it works.

He's single and living in Titusville, while attending law school at Barry University to earn a degree Curtis figures he'll find helpful.

If conventional wisdom is correct, and it takes money to win an election, Curtis is lagging way behind.

As of June 30, Curtis reported campaign contributions of $67,180. Kosmas reported contributions of more than $1.14 million, and Feeney's contributions were slightly more than $1.4 million.

"We don't have money. We have right on our side," Curtis said. "From our standpoint, we have millions."

Visit The Beacon's 2008 Voter's Section

— pat@beacononlinenews.com

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