Two Democrat first-timers vie for Abruzzo’s Legislature seat
Two Democrats from suburban Boca Raton are running to replace state Rep. Joe Abruzzo as Florida’s District 81 representative.
Both Tina Polsky and Mindy Koch are first-time candidates who have never held elected public office.
Polsky, who has been endorsed by the seat’s incumbent, is a New York native who has lived in the district for 13 years.
For the past 10 years, she said she has “enjoyed modest success” as a commercial mediator in her own practice and, if elected, she will take the negotiation skills she’s learned in her profession to Tallahassee.
“I can’t guarantee that it’s going to work, but if I had to have a particular skill set to take with me, being in the minority party, I think that is the right one,” Polsky said.
She plans to use those negotiation skills to fight for a number of issues including education funding, health care for all, gun safety reform and protecting the environment.
“Those would be some of my top priorities,” she said.
When it comes to public education funding, in addition to fully funding public schools, Polsky is also in favor of salary increases for teachers.
On the issue of health care, Polsky is focused on Medicaid expansion and reducing health-care costs for consumers.
“Health care is a complicated issue, but a responsible first step would be to expand Medicaid in our state,” she said. “This will prevent costs TINA POLSKY
Age :50
City: Boca Raton
Family: Married, two children Education: Law degree,
Columbia University
Profession: Mediator,
North Castle Mediation
Key quote: “I’m running for office in order to ensure that all Floridians have a voice in government and to advocate for commonsense solutions to gun violence, quality public education, high-paying local jobs, better health care, equal rights for all, and forward-thinking solutions to the very real threats of climate change and sea-level rise.”
MINDY KOCH
Age :65
City: Boca Raton
Family: Widowed, three children Education: Doctor of leadership, Nova Southeastern University Profession: Retired educator
Key quote: “We can do better in Florida. We deserve a legislator who’s transparent, who shares the values of the district, who knows the district and has lived here for many, many years. We should have someone who’s worked side-by-side with them on the hard work to reach the future we want, and that’s me.” from rising by ensuring that the most vulnerable in our society are covered using federal dollars rather than passing on the cost to people like you and me, which results in our premiums going up.”
When it comes to gun control reform, Polsky said the recently passed school safety legislation was a good start, but that it should go further.
“I think the more controversial path would be trying to ban assault-style weapons, high-capacity magazines and things of that nature,” she said. “I think something we could compromise on would be a safe storage of guns law. That way, no one has to feel like we’re taking the guns away, but they do have to be stored properly.”
As for her first action in office if she was elected, Polsky said it’s too early to know for sure.
Koch, a local resident of more than three decades, is the current president of the Democratic Club of Boca Raton and Delray Beach.
Koch, a retired educator, wants to see improvements in school security and safety, as well as a fully funded education system.
“We need to find a way to fully fund public education and make schools safe for our kids, teachers and all employees who work there,” she said. “We need to mind our children, we need to support our kids every way we possibly can. It’s a tough world out there.”
Koch called the recently passed school safety legislation a “phenomenally extraordinary first step,” but added that there is always room to expand.
Ways to do that, she said, are to restrict high-capacity magazines, put an emphasis on safe firearms storage and expand background checks.
She also has some other issues with the law.
“My big concern is the provision to arm teachers,” she said.
On the issue of Medicaid expansion, Koch said it is a necessity.
“Our failure to accept the Medicaid expansion means between 730,000 and 900,000 Floridians do not have health care. We should accept the Medicaid expansion so those people can receive medical treatment and live healthy lives.”
Other issues Koch said she plans to tackle include expanding the state’s public transportation system, cutting down on toxic algae blooms from Lake Okeechobee and regulating the flow of funds between public schools and charter schools.
“We can do better in Florida. We deserve a legislator who’s transparent, who shares the values of the district, who knows the district and has lived here for many, many years,” Koch said. “We should have someone who’s worked side-by-side with them on the hard work to reach the future we want, and that’s me.”