Dilligard, Ross and Taylor in primary
posted Aug 15, 2008 - 9:18:11am
In the Aug. 26 primary, registered Democrats will choose their top pick to replace Joyce Cusack in the District 27 seat in the Florida Legislature.
District 27, a product of the Republican-led redistricting based on the 2000 census, snakes across Volusia County from DeLand to Daytona Beach, encompassing largely Democrats and African-Americans.
District 26, on the other hand, captures most of the DeLand area’s Republican voters. The incumbent in District 26, Pat Patterson, has no opponent in the primary, and will face Democrat Barry Flynn Nov. 4.
The District 27 race has three Democrats in the primary; the winner will face Maureen Monahan, no party affiliation, in the Nov. 4 general election.
Cusack, who has represented the district since 2000, must give up the seat because of term limits. She is openly endorsing candidate Terry E. Dilligard Sr. of DeLand, but said no matter who gets in, the job will not be an easy one.
And, Cusack is still working.
“There are too many pressing issues to take a lot of time off,” she said.
Cusack said several hot issues will have to be dealt with in the next session of the Florida Legislature, in the spring of 2009.
“The expected budget shortfall will impact all of the services that we are mandated to provide,” Cusack said. “It’s best to think of the economy and budget like a pie, and each service gets a slice. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough pie to go around.”
The next representative from District 27 will face challenges in education, health care and housing, all programs whose funding will be reduced due to the slump in the economy. Most important, to Cusack, is the quality of education in the district.
“Without good education, how can we expect good jobs to come to our area?” she said. The strained economy also means fewer people will be able to afford health care or housing.
Dilligard, Jake C. Ross and Dwayne L. Taylor all want the Democratic nomination. The campaign platforms of all three men are in line with Cusack’s concerns.
Terry E. Dilligard Sr.
Dilligard is a DeLand native and resident who formerly served on the DeLand City Commission. He promises to bring “the small-town perspective” to the Legislature.
“We have excellent mayors and County Council members who have great ideas,” Dilligard said. “I want to take those ideas up to Tallahassee. They need to know what’s going on down here.”
Dilligard said his top priority is education, and that he will fight for better funding and a revised formula that puts the responsibility for educational funding back on the Florida Legislature and takes the burden off local taxpayers.
He said property taxes can be lowered, while still providing for education. Dilligard also wants education funding to cover school safety and enhance opportunities for students.
“Unfortunately, some people up in Tallahassee don’t see it that way,” Dilligard said. “We cannot balance the budget on the backs of our children.”
He said health care in Florida is in crisis. Too many people, he said, do not have health insurance; he would address this by giving incentives to employers who provide affordable health-care options to employees and their children.
Additionally, Dilligard wants to work on reducing the cost of homeowners’ insurance.
He cites his record on the DeLand City Commission 2003-07 as proof he will keep constituents’ best interests in mind as the representative for District 27.
He encourages voters to visit his Web site, www.dilligardforstaterep.com, for more information.
Jake C. Ross
Jake C. Ross also was born in DeLand, though he now resides in Daytona Beach. He has served the public for 35 years, he said, and now is “ready to make a bigger impact.”
Ross served in the Army after high school, and returned to DeLand afterward, where he joined the DeLand Police Department in 1969. There, he was named officer of the month six times.
Ross was soon recruited by the State Attorney’s Office as an investigator and assistant chief. He now serves as the chief investigator for the Public Defender’s Office in Daytona Beach.
“I feel that I have the right experience and vision to succeed,” Ross said. “I am motivated to fight for the concerns of our people.”
Ross’ first priority is the economy. He said District 27 needs more jobs outside of tourism, and that he supports developing “clean industries” that boost the local economy.
Next, Ross is concerned with public safety. He hopes to serve on the Criminal Justice Committee if he is elected.
“We need to put more money in the justice system,” Ross said, “to ensure that those who protect our citizens are supported.”
Ross promises to fund programs that fight crime, and wants to rework juvenile justice to “reach kids early, so they don’t wind up in the adult system.”
Additionally, Ross wants to revamp education funding.
“Cutting a billion dollars from education is a failure,” Ross said.
He encourages voters to keep in touch through his Web page, www.votejakeross.com.
Dwayne L. Taylor
Dwayne L. Taylor is a native and resident of Daytona Beach. He currently serves on the Daytona Beach City Commission, representing Zone 5, and is a trustee of the Daytona Beach Police and Fire Pension Fund.
He’s also a freelance writer and producer.
“I intend to be the representative of this entire district,” Taylor said. “I will take our issues to Tallahassee, not the other way around.”
Taylor said the economy is his chief concern, and that his experience with the business community in Daytona Beach led him to run for the legislative seat.
Daytona Beach Chamber of Commerce members are among his top campaign contributors and supporters. The presence of Daytona Beach interests reflects the new District 27 boundaries that incorporate much of the east-side city.
“When I am elected, I want to make sure that we have jobs come to our area,” Taylor said. “We need to diversify our economy and make it our top priority.”
He also promised to fight to restore funding to the school district.
Taylor urged constituents to contact him directly with their concerns and issues via his e-mail address, taylorfordistrict27@gmail.com. He said he reads messages every day and replies quickly.
Once elected, he promised, he will give weekly updates throughout each legislative session. He said he is an advocate of open government.
“These issues belong to the citizens,” he said. “It is my job to facilitate whatever needs they have.”
Who's paying for it?
The war chests are swelling in the race to replace Joyce Cusack in the District 27 seat in the Florida Legislature. Here's the scoop on campaign fund-raising:
Dwayne L. Taylor has the largest campaign kitty, with $76,327.52 in contributions reported to the Florida Division of Elections as of Aug. 13. Most of his 188 contributors are businesses, hotels and development firms, rather than individuals.
Ross and Dilligard both have more contributions from individuals, but far less money.
Jake C. Ross is in second place in the money race, with $15,215 in contributions reported to the state as of Aug. 13. His contributors are the most varied, spanning all of Volusia County and including many individuals.
DeLand resident Terry E. Dilligard Sr., who has the endorsement of the incumbent, also has the last money. As of Aug. 13, Dilligard had amassed $12,626 in contributions, mainly from private citizens in the DeLand area.
All contributions are listed at the Florida Divison of Elections Web site.
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