Thanks to the Sun-Sentinel for their endorsement! District 6: Furr demonstrates courage, smarts Two well-known veteran public officials will be vying for the Broward County Commission District 6 seat in the Aug. 26 primary. Quentin Beam Furr, 59, who spent 12 years on the Hollywood City Commission, is running against Joeseph Joe Gibbons, 66, who has been in the Florida House of Representatives since 2006. They are vying for the seat vacated by Sue Gunzburger, who cannot seek re-election because of term limits. District 6 runs through the eastern parts of Hollywood, Pembroke Pines and Hallandale Beach. Only residents of the district are eligible to vote in this race. Both Furr and Gibbons are strong candidates, but the Sun Sentinel Editorial Board believes Furr is the better choice because of his demonstrated courage in looking out for taxpayers. Furr was a tough negotiator with Hollywood unions, taking a hard look at pensions in 2011, when the city faced a $38-million budget gap. Gibbons, who has the backing of unions, claims Furr is anti-union, but Furr rightly puts fiscal discipline and taxpayers first. When tough choices had to be made, Furr was among those Hollywood commissioners who favored increasing the retirement age for members of municipal unions and eliminating automatic cost-of-living adjustments. This cant last, he said at the time. Youre seeing cities going bankrupt. Weve had to borrow money to pave streets and sidewalks. Though Furr recognizes and appreciates the importance of public safety workers, I had to take a hard look at our budget. The entire budget was getting swallowed by the cost of pensions. Taking on municipal unions takes guts for an elected official in any city because union members are motivated to vote in big numbers. The easy thing to do is roll over for big pay raises and pension increases. But the best public servants dont take the easy way out. Rather, they make considered decisions while keeping a close eye on taxpayers wallets. Furr has demonstrated his willingness to do that. Also, his training as a librarian has helped him dig into details to find the best solutions. Besides fiscal discipline, Furr sees public transportation as a critical issue in his district. People feel [public transportation] doesnt get them where they want to go as well at it should. He would encourage transit-oriented development near employment centers, promote commuter rail on the FEC line and push for better synchronization of traffic signals. Other priorities include more affordable housing and sustained attention on environmental issues, such as climate change, beach erosion and water supply. He is a strong supporter of solar energy. Gibbons is an effective and likable candidate who continues to have much to give. But given Furrs courageous track record, he gets our nod and deserves your vote.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Aug 2014 23:26:23 +0000
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