Democrats may have to sit on the back benches in Tallahassee, but that doesn’t mean they can’t work “across the aisle” to get things done for their districts.

State Rep. Keith Fitzgerald makes a strong case for the impact he has had in working on issues such as growth management and affordable housing. After County Administrator Jim Ley explained how state regulations that were supposed to help counties deal with growth management actually were hindering them, Fitzgerald worked not only to pass a remedy bill in the House but to get state Sen. Mike Bennett to champion a companion bill in his chamber. Sadly, time ran out before the bills could get to the conference committee.

Even if the Democrats manage to make inroads in the legislature this year on the coattails of the presidential campaign, Fitzgerald knows the extraordinarily tough economic times he’ll face upon returning to Tallahassee. Still, he is eager to tackle the problems.

Once again, Fitzgerald is facing Republican Laura Benson. And Benson has a very valid point in that, as a member of the majority party, she might be able to get a lot more accomplished for Sarasota County. Beyond that practical aspect of her candidacy, Benson is a quick study. She distinguished herself on the local school board for her discipline in mastering issues – and in voting for what she felt truly was the best option, not the most popular one.

Fitzgerald and Benson agree on several issues that will be at the forefront in the next legislative session. The biggest and most obvious is plugging a current $3.5-billion budget hole and another one of $7 billion or more for the next fiscal year.

Ask Benson how to solve that problem, and she talks immediately of trimming programs. She’d start in the Department of Education, where her school board background gives her an excellent grasp of what could go without being missed.

And she doesn’t rule out new taxes.

Fitzgerald believes a $1 per pack increase in the cigarette tax would be a good start, as Florida’s tax is one of the lowest in the nation. He also feels the legislators must look at removing some of the numerous exemptions from the sales tax laws.

Benson is well-versed in the issues and very articulate. However, Fitzgerald’s first term has given him plenty of insight into the workings of state government, and anyone who talks with him cannot help but be impressed with his candor. Regardless of whether he remains a back-bencher, the Pelican Press recommends voters give Keith Fitzgerald another term as the State House District 69 representative.