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Schooled challenger takes on incumbent for House spot

(PNJ, October 17, 2010- Kimberly Blair)
State Rep. Clay Ford is fighting to retain the District 3 House seat in Tallahassee he's held since 2007.

The GOP candidate is seeking a third term and faces Democrat Claudia Brown-Curry, a former Escambia County School Board member and two-time candidate for Escambia County superintendent of schools in the Nov. 2 election.

"Right now, this is a prime time for me," Ford said. "As you go into the third term, that's when you begin to chair committees and councils. The first two terms, you're paying your dues, getting experience and learning how the system works. I could potentially have three more terms over there if people decide to send me back."

Gaining that seniority is good for Pensacola, he said.

"In the old days, one of our strengths in the Panhandle was we had people who had 30 years seniority and ended up with some powerful positions," he said. "We don't have numbers (of lawmakers) to compete with Central or South Florida. Miami-Dade has 12 House members. We've got seven for the whole Panhandle. We have to build seniority within the limits we have."

But Ford also acknowledges that the emergence of the Tea Party, Milk Party and even Coffee Party reveals that people are fed up with old-school politics as usual.

"People are sick of partisan politics, and the two parties fighting all time and the negative, mudslinging politics," he said. "They want us to go over there and get the issues, understand the issues and work hard on them in, what I call, a gentlemanly manner."
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