Two Northwest Dade seats for state Legislature up for grabs

Article Courtesy of The Miami Herald

By LAURA FIGUEROA

Published June 29, 2008

One has the Speaker of the Florida House in his corner, the other has a former U.S. Senator backing her candidacy -- a battle of political name recognition that marks the start of the race for the state District 110 seat that includes parts of Hialeah, Miami Lakes and Unincorporated Northwest Miami-Dade.

Hialeah City Council President Esteban ''Steve'' Bovo, a Republican, and Nancy L. Stander, a Democrat and former staffer for former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, are running for the seat vacated by Rep. Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, due to term limits.

Another state representative seat up for grabs is in District 102, which covers portions of Hialeah, Hialeah Gardens and Unincorporated Northwest Miami-Dade. Republican Rep. Eduardo ''Eddy'' Gonzalez will be on the ballot against write-in candidate Alfred Leon.

In the District 110 race, Bovo has deep political ties to Tallahassee. His wife, Viviana, who is his campaign treasurer also, is a legislative aide to outgoing House Speaker Marco Rubio, a West Miami Republican.

Stander, a teacher at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, was prompted to run by Graham, whom she assisted during his failed presidential bid in 2004.

Bovo has time at his advantage; he signed up to run in October 2007, several months ahead of Stander who entered the fray in May.

The additional time enabled Bovo to amass $106,151 in campaign contributions between Oct. 3 and March 31.

''I believe the race shouldn't be about numbers, whether that be the amount of money you raise or the number of people in your campaign. It should be about the issues,'' Stander said Tuesday.

Bovo said he believes in teamwork.

''This is the type of approach that is needed in Tallahassee to help address the issues affecting us all, a common sense team approach where people don't worry who's getting the credit,'' Bovo said Tuesday.

His job as a lobbyist for Miami Children's Hospital also meant Bovo spent the early part of the year working the Capitol corridorsmaking friends with lawmakers.

Bovo previously worked for the beleaguered Hialeah Race Track, where he lobbied -- unsuccessfully -- for the park to be allowed to retain its racing license. It's an issue he'd like to take another shot at, if elected, he said.

Should Bovo be elected, he said, he will not lobby for the hospital in front of the state; instead, he will limit his role to lobbying the county and national health agencies.

Stander said she toyed with the idea of running for state office for months. In January she had almost convinced herself she shouldn't do it but she turned to Graham, her political mentor, for advice.

'He said an old politician told him, `When you feel a burning in your belly and it doesn't go away, that's when you know you should run,' '' Stander said. ``I felt something and it wouldn't go away.''

Stander said she would like to use her background as an educator to focus on education issues facing the state.

''My main concern is our children,'' she said. ``We are not going to be able to compete globally if our state education system is not top-notch.''

This will be Gonzalez's first time facing voters for the District 102 seat.

A former Hialeah Council vice president, Gonzalez was appointed to the District 102 seat in October 2006 after the resignation of Ralph Arza, a Republican.

Arza quit in the midst of a controversy over an expletives-laden message on the voice mail of a former state lawmaker.

Gonzalez could not be reached by cellphone or at his district office phone.

In his two years in the Legislature Gonzalez successfully introduced legislation calling for carbon monoxide detectors to be placed in hotels and newly constructed buildings and for the state to grade private tutors and supplemental learning centers.

Gonzalez, who has reported $203,190 in campaign contributions, is being challenged by Leon, a Hialeah resident who submitted his name as a write-in candidate on the filing deadline. He does not plan to investing much in campaigning.

'My message is pretty straight forward: `I wanted to run under the laws that allow me to run as a write-in candidate.' Candidates should not be elected without opposition,'' he said.