Headline Surfer will announce its endorsement after an Oct. 21 public candidate debate between the two combatants in New Smyrna Beach
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Republican Dorothy and Democrat Frank Bruno are embroiled in a heated race for the newly created dist. 8 state senate seat in the Nov. 6 general elections. The Orlando Sentinel has given Bruno its endorsement.
Headline Surfer will issue its endorsement following an Oct. 21 public candidate debate between the two at the Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach, sponsored and moderated by the New Smyrna Beach-based 24/7 Internet newspaper.
ORLANDO -- The Orlando Sentinel has endorsed the candidacy of Democrat and Volusia County Chair Frank Bruno for the dist. 8 state senate seat over Republican State Rep. Dorothy Hukill, dismissing her as a "loyal soldier for House GOP leaders" who has sponsored "truly bad bills."
The Sentinel in its Saturday rebuke of Hukill, said in part, "She's been a loyal soldier for House GOP leaders. The party also needs to counter some truly bad bills she's sponsored, bills that weakened growth management and would have undermined citizen-backed redistricting reforms, and repealed consumer protections against crooked auto mechanics, telemarketers and movers."
Hukill was also chastised for the radio advertising spot against Bruno that makes fun of New York-New Jersey Italian-American accents with characters named "Joey" and "Vinnie" who refer to her opponent as Volusia County's "political boss."
Though Hukill told the newspaper the ad is not meant to disparage an "ethnic community," the Sentinel sarcastically responds, "Right."
As for Bruno, the Sentinel chastises Volusia County government for too much travel -- the point of Hukill's radio ad, though the newspaper says in part of the term-limited county chair: "Bruno took the lead on trying to reform the county's travel practices. He's also been a consensus builder and a leader on regional initiatives, including SunRail. Bruno's success in cutting millions of dollars from Volusia's expenses gives him the background and credibility to take on the state budget. And he's the only candidate in this race whose priorities include protecting the environment, including the district's beaches and springs."
The Sentinel took a swipe at Hukill's Tallahassee party connections, saying, "We're confident Bruno is more likely to put his constituents ahead of his party's leaders."
Editor's Note: Here is a link to the Orlando Sentinel's story endorsing Frank Bruno. You may not be able to access it unless you have a paid subscription. Both the Sentinel and the Daytona Beach News-Journal have stopped allowing unfettered acess to their online news. Headline Surfer does not charge a subscription fee: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2012-10-13/opinion/os-ed-endorsement-state-senate-101312-20121012_1_republican-dorothy-hukill-deregulation-bill-volusia-county-council.
OUR DEBATE AND ENDORSEMENT
The Brannon Center in New Smyrna Beach is the setting 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, for a 90-minute "public" candidate debate between dist. 8 state senate Republican Dorothy Hukill and Democrat Frank Bruno. It is sponsored by Headline Surfer and will be moderated by Henry Frederick, an award-winning journalist and the 24/7 Internet newspaper's editor & publisher. Citizens are welcomed and encouraged to ask questions of the candidates during the public participation portion of the debate.
Headline Surfer will announce its endorsement in the Nov. 6 general elections for either Dorothy Hukill or Frank Bruno following the Oct. 21 public candidate debate. The endorsement will be published with a story posted on HeadlineSurfer.com (aka NSBNews.net and VolusiaNews.net) on the eve of early voting, which begins Oct. 27.