Delores Hogan Johnson an educated pick for FL House District 84 | Our view
RACE: Florida House District 84
TERM: 2 years
CANDIDATES:
- Mark Gotz, R-Port St. Lucie
- Delores Hogan Johnson, D-Fort Pierce
KEY ISSUES: Education, environment, tax policy
RECOMMENDATION: Delores Hogan Johnson
Who would you rather have representing a large part of the Treasure Coast in Tallahassee — a candidate who seeks to be as inclusive as possible, regardless of constituents' politics, or someone with a narrow political and philosophical agenda?
That is the choice voters must make between Democrat Delores Hogan Johnson and Republican Mark Gotz in the race for Florida House District 84.
This is the seat vacated earlier this year by three-term incumbent Rep. Larry Lee, Jr., a Democrat.
Hogan Johnson is a retired educator with more than 30 years experience in St. Lucie County public schools, where she worked with under-served youth. If elected, she vows to advocate for higher pay for teachers and greater investment in the state's public school system.
She believes public schools serve the greater good, and she is skeptical about the impact a proliferation of privately operated charter schools could have on the larger education system..
Gotz takes the polar opposite position. He is a property developer who has founded 10 charter schools in Florida, though none of them on the Treasure Coast.
Gotz is a strong proponent of small government. He is convinced charter schools are more efficient users of funding and offer parents greater choice in how their children are educated. Such competition, Gotz believes, results in lower costs and greater efficiency.
Hogan Johnson makes a more compelling case on education.
Her other strong suit is the environment.
Currently president of the St. Lucie Waterfront Council, she displays a solid understanding of the hydrology of the Lake Okeechobee basin and was involved with the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan 18 years ago. She is convinced that if CERP had been fully implemented, today's problems with blue-green algae would be much less severe.
For someone hoping to represent this part of Florida, Gotz displayed a completely inadequate level of expertise about environmental issues.
In an interview with the Editorial Board of Treasure Coast Newspapers, he glossed over the problem of Lake Okeechobee discharges by repeating the phrase: "The solution to pollution is dilution." Gotz mistakenly believes allowing a fortified Herbert Hoover Dike to hold more water would largely solve the discharge problem.
Asked if he supported Gov. Rick Scott's massive cuts at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Gotz replied he was unaware of any such staff reductions. Many observers believe Scott's actions at the DEP have caused lax enforcement of water quality regulations across Florida.
Gotz believes existing environmental enforcement efforts at the individual county level are adequate.
Hogan Johnson said she would strongly push for restoration of funding and staffing at DEP.
We are impressed with Hogan Johnson's knowledge, background and grasp of the issues. We applaud her promise to work for the good of all residents of District 84. We recommend her for the Florida House seat.
TCPalm’s candidate recommendations are decided collectively by its Editorial Board. Recommendations are based on nonpartisan criteria that prioritize the best candidates for our local community.