Five Candidates in Race for State Rep. Dist. 65

Five candidates for State Representative from District 65 recently participated in a public forum at the . Four candidates — Marg Baker, Peter Nehr, Tory Perfetti and Philip Tropea — will appear on the Republican primary ballot on Aug. 14. The winner will face Democrat Carl Zimmerman in the general election on Nov. 6.

All five candidates for State Rep. District 65 are listed below in alphabetical order along with information about them, comments from their website and comments they made during the candidate forum.

Marg Baker, Republican

• Resident of Palm Harbor
• Occupation: Retired
• Website: afloridacracker.com
• Comment From Website: "I am not a career politician. I am a conservative average citizen who has taken a stand to support our constitutions. Freedom is not free; therefore, I am offering my service and knowledge to keep us  free.  Less regulation is a must. "
• Comment From Palm Harbor Candidate Forum, "What do you think is the most important statewide issue affecting this district? "Water. I have a very expensive water filtration system in my house, so the water so the water in Pinellas County is not now affecting me. I was getting very sick from the water."

Peter Nehr, Republican

• Resident of Palm Harbor
• Occupation: State Representative
• Website: votepeternehr.com 
• Comment From Website: "Protecting the safety and security of the public is a fundamental role of government.  Floridians deserve a justice system that guarantees due process, a corrections system that provides secure prisons and law enforcement that protects and serves all Floridians.
• Comment From Palm Harbor Candidate Forum, "What do you think is the most important statewide issue affecting this district? "Jobs and the economy, I can assure you are one of the top issues that affect citizens in Florida and our districts as well."

Tory Perfetti, Republican

• Resident of Oldsmar
• Occupation: Media Production/Consulting
• Website: toryperfetti.com 
• Comment From Website: "The Aerospace and Defense Industry is an area where we must invest a large amount of energy into expanding. Florida is perfectly situated to take advantage of this opportunity and we should be able to take a leading role in the Country in the Aerospace industry. Along with this comes the added bonus of skilled jobs and added revenue for the State."
• Comment From Palm Harbor Candidate Forum, "What do you think is the most important statewide issue affecting this district? "Jobs and the economy, very pressing issue of course, the most pressing. There are a lot of things that are bothering the state."

Philip Tropea, Republican

• Resident of Palm Harbor
• Occupation: Retired
• Website:philiptropea.blogspot.com
• Comment From Website: "I am pro constitution, Pro Gun-2nd amendment rights, Pro-Life, against the UN, Sharia Law, big government, and global warming. I am a fervent supporter of our armed forces, veterans, police and fireman."
• Comment From Palm Harbor Candidate Forum, "What do you think is the most important statewide issue affecting this district? "We had BP that had this problem, this oil spill and you didn't hear one word from our energy department in Tallahassee."

Carl Zimmerman, Democrat

• Resident of Palm Harbor
• Occupation: Teacher
• Website: carlzimmermann.com
• Comment From Website: "We raised our own kids with a very simple motto: The most important thing in life is to be a good person. And I live by that. As a teacher, it has always been most important to me that I have a positive influence in the lives of my students."
• Comment From Palm Harbor Candidate Forum, "What do you think is the most important statewide issue affecting this district? "The economy and jobs are definitely the two most pressing issues. There are other issues that are important, homeowner's insurance."