The Tampa Tribune endorses Dennis Ross for U.S. Congress, District 12.

Voters in four Tampa Bay area congressional districts have a total of nine candidates to evaluate in mid-term elections next month that could mark a shift in power in the Democratic-controlled U.S. House.

Two longtime incumbents are stepping down, so voters will seat at least two new representatives regardless of the political party that prevails. And two other incumbents have challengers.

Here are our views on these races:

District 5

Voters in sprawling District 5, which covers all or part of eight counties north of Hillsborough, including most of Pasco, will elect their third representative in 18 years. Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite, R-Brooksville, who defeated 10-year-incumbent Rep. Karen Thurman in 2002, decided not to seek a fifth term because of health concerns.

Hernando County Sheriff Rich Nugent, who won the Republican primary over a tea-party movement activist, and Democrat James “Jim” Piccillo, who was unopposed, want to succeed Brown-Waite. Nugent clearly is the superior candidate.

Nugent, 59, who moved to Hernando 26 years ago, knows the area well. His years of public service – he was elected sheriff in 2000 – and budgetary experience will enable him to identify wasteful federal spending and work to lower the tax rate.

In addition, Nugent’s 36 years-plus in law enforcement will enhance public safety initiatives, including homeland security, and help forge solutions in the immigration debate, including the need to better secure our borders. And he has demonstrated the ability to work with other public officials, no matter political affiliation, which is greatly needed in gridlocked Washington.

Piccillo, 36, an Army veteran who lives in Land O’ Lakes, is seeking public office for the first time. A small business consultant who also has worked as a financial auditor, he promises to return common sense and accountability to government. He is smart and articulate.

But we believe Nugent’s stronger knowledge of the district, conservative values and years of public service will enable him to make an immediate impact. The Tribune recommends Richard “Rich” Nugent for the U.S. House of Representatives, District 5.

District 9

Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, is seeking a third term in the district, which stretches from coastal Pasco across north Pinellas and into parts of east and north Hillsborough. He is challenged by Democratic activist Anita de Palma, a retired pianist.

De Palma, a 73-year-old Clearwater resident who has lived in Pinellas since 1980, unsuccessfully ran for the seat two years ago. She is a charming person who has worked hard to help others, including domestic violence victims and the sick. She supports single-payer, universal health care.

And she has been recognized for hurricane relief efforts and lobbied Congress as Florida director of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

This race shouldn’t be a head-scratcher, though. Bilirakis, who succeeded his father, Mike, in 2006, knows the district like the back of his hand – he spent eight years in the Florida House before going to Congress. He is a sincere and approachable politician who stresses bipartisanship.

Bilirakis, 47, a champion of veterans, is working to protect them against scams, expand health care facilities and provide therapeutic settings in which to live. He wants to address gaps in “visa security” that pose a threat to the United States. And he is adamant that oil-drilling should not be allowed along Florida’s coastline, even saying a 100-mile buffer may be too close.

Bilirakis supports extending the Bush tax cuts and opposes the new health care law, pointing out its unfair and costly mandates on businesses and individuals.

The Tribune recommends returning Gus Michael Bilirakis to the U.S. House, District 9.

District 11

In District 11, which stretches from Tampa, along southeast Hillsborough into St. Petersburg, we have been troubled by Democratic incumbent Kathy Castor’s support of the health care plan and her reliable backing of the Democratic leadership.

But we cannot dismiss the labors of a community champion who has been able to bring jobs and investments to her district.

She has been responsive to local business concerns, boosting the port and ensuring the stimulus plan included the much-needed connector linking Tampa’s port and Interstate 4. She won funding for other job-creating projects, including $16 million for improvements at Tampa International Airport.

She was instrumental in the administration’s decision to back the high-speed rail project from Tampa to Orlando, which regional business leaders believe will boost our economy.

Castor stresses she votes for measures she believes will help her district, which includes many poor neighborhoods. She makes no apologies for obtaining funding for housing projects that bring jobs and residents to urban areas.

After the Deepwater Horizon crisis, Castor performed impressively, vigorously seeking aid for Florida businesses hurt by the spill and highlighting the work of the University of South Florida’s marine science research team. When BP would not provide needed information for researchers, she got results.

Castor is the only Democrat in the local delegation but works well with her colleagues.

Her Republican opponent, Mike Prendergast, a retired Army colonel, makes points when attacking Castor’s support for the Obama agenda. But he offers little beyond political platitudes. Even when served a softball question on veterans’ affairs, he provided us few specifics. In contrast, Castor wants to transform West Tampa’s Fort Homer Hesterly Armory into a VA clinic.

While he is correct to want to curb excessive federal spending, Prendergast seems indifferent to the value of those infrastructure investments – such as port aid and the I-4 connector – that sustain the economy and return tax dollars to the community. He would scrap the high-speed rail project.

Though Tampa Bay area congressional representatives, whether Republican or Democrat, have always fought to protect Florida’s coast and its tourism industry, Prendergast looks favorably on near-shore oil drilling.

Whatever disagreements we may have with Castor, we don’t question her sincerity, hard work and commitment to the community’s welfare. She has been an effective advocate for the region.

For U.S. Congress in District 11, the Tribune endorses Kathy Castor.

District 12

Three candidates are vying to succeed popular Congressman Adam Putnam, who is running for agriculture commissioner, in District 12, which includes eastern Hillsborough, most of Polk and a sliver of Osceola counties.

Lakeland lawyer and former legislator Dennis Ross won the Republican primary in August. He is challenged by the Democrat’s winning candidate, Polk elections supervisor Lori Edwards, also a former state lawmaker. The third choice is Florida Tea Party candidate Randy Wilkinson, a three-term Polk County commissioner. Our choice is Ross.

The Lakeland native served eight years in Tallahassee and proved to be a “principled conservative” whose views are shared by a majority of citizens in this largely agrarian and still conservative district. But he is not an ideologue. He showed himself willing to buck his party’s leadership, as well as risk his livelihood, when he refused to go along with Republican plans to expand Citizens Property Insurance Corp., then the state’s insurer of last resort, and the state’s imposition of artificially low rates on insurance companies.

Ross, 50, lost committee chairmanships because of his stand, but his was the fiscally prudent posture.

Like his opponents, Ross knows that jobs are the No. 1 priority for District 12 residents, and he views job creation in conjunction with taxes and health care reform. He speaks passionately about the need for fiscal restraint in Congress and worries about what profligate federal spending will mean for the next generation. He would extend the Bush tax cuts and considers federal stimulus spending a failure “when the feds hire and the private sector lays off more and more.”

Ross knows there must be health care reform but would repeal President Obama’s legislation. He wants individuals and families to be able to buy insurance anywhere in the country. He would encourage the graduation of more doctors and is a supporter of tort reform.

Ross understands the country can’t afford to stop drilling in the Gulf but emphasizes providing incentives to private companies to develop alternative fuel sources.

He promises to champion veterans’ issues and believes “we need to slowly ween ourselves from Afghanistan.” Maintaining a strong defense would be a top priority.

Edwards, 53, has lived in Polk County since 1982. She is no liberal Democrat. She would bring a moderate voice to Washington.

She has run a populist campaign promising to “bring to Washington the strong voice of regular middle-class people.” She is reticent about raising taxes, understanding that local small-business people are feeling the pinch.

Edwards opposes offshore drilling, but she supported the Obama health care law and will have to support much of the Democratic agenda if she is to have any influence in Washington.

Wilkinson, 57, is running as the outsider, even though he has been an intriguing political figure in Polk County for years. In addition to his time on the commission, he also served on the school board. He has never lost a campaign.

Wilkinson knows he has only an outside shot at winning, but in these angry times – he says both Republicans and Democrats caused the recession – he believes he has a chance.

But the strongest candidate, and true conservative, in this campaign is Ross.

The Tampa Tribune endorses Dennis Ross for U.S. Congress, District 12.

Rebuttals

Candidates not endorsed by the Tribune are invited by the editorial board to write rebuttals. Rebuttals should be limited to 200 words.

E-mail replies to tribletters@tampatrib.com or write to Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 191, Tampa, 33601-0191.

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