Dems Powell, Anderson vie in Senate District 30
Primary will decide race, as it has no Republicans and one write-in.
WEST PALM BEACH — For Florida Sen. Bobby Powell, seeking a return trip to Tallahassee, the priorities for Senate District 30 are economic development, affordable housing and “making sure we’re able to fund our public schools and teachers correctly.”
Powell, the incumbent, faces a challenge in the Aug. 28 primary from Rubin Anderson, a substitute teacher and one-time candidate for West Palm Beach mayor and Florida governor.
The primary between the two Democrats will decide the election, as there are no Republicans in the race and the only other candidate is a write-in, Josh Santos.
Anderson says the key to the future is not just economic growth but making sure that growth is shared by the poor, women and minorities, and making certain they get a shot at the same state and local contracts others are getting.
Anderson, a 62-year-old father of five, earned a bachelor’s degree in ministry from Palm Beach Atlantic University in 2008. In addition to teaching, he was a certified golf course superintendent and occasionally consults for schools on maintaining athletic fields.
Along with addressing economic disparities, he says school safety would be a priority for him in Tallahassee, particularly pushing for metal detectors to screen school visitors. Health care and mental health coverage needs to be expanded, he adds. “I don’t care if it’s Obamacare, Trump, me or you — we need to extend health care. We need to make sure these people are covered, even those with preconditions,” he said, noting that his grandson had cancer, a pre-existing condition, and that he had to fight for his coverage.
Anderson says that overall, he’s for solving community problems by showing leadership and getting city and state officials “to bridge together, to make sure our people are taken care of.” That’s something that’s not being done by the incumbent, he said. “You have to be out in the community, talking to people.”
Powell, a 36-year-old urban planner, takes issue with that assertion. He says he’s frequently at community town hall sessions or attending city commission meetings to update local officials on what’s happening that affects them in the capital city. He says he’s seldom seen Anderson at those meetings.
Powell served as a state representative from 2012 to 2016 and became a state senator in 2016.
Education improvements a re c r i t i c a l , Powell s ays , because if the children aren’t doing well, the community won’t do well in the future. As for housing, he says the price of the average home in the county, at $350,000 to $380,000, is out of reach for “day-to-day workers” competing with cash buyers.
He’s vice chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development and says he has worked with the Port of Palm Beach, Florida Department of Transportation and others to bring money back to the district for vital projects such as the Broadway Corridor redesign, Singer Island water projects and West Palm police systems. “We are continuing to see the economy grow, but here in Florida, people have to be able to get jobs to be able to pay for housing and food and not suffer,” he said.
Powell, who has sat on two health care committees, says health coverage is a priority and notes that it will represent about 38 percent of the state budget this year, up about 5 percent from last year. With President Donald Trump in power, efforts to expand Obamacare aren’t likely to succeed, but with a new governor or increased Democratic control, there may be ways to work for improvements at the state level, he says. One priority would be to make sure the state’s low-income pool is refilled, he said.