Mosquito Control: Three seats are open

Mosquito Control: Three seats are open



Publication Date: 10/13/08


The majority of commissioners on the Anastasia Mosquito Control District will change in the Nov. 4 general election. Seeking those three seats are five newcomers and one former district commissioner.

Killing mosquitoes is the district's main goal; has been for more than 50 years. Florida's bane of existence has been the mosquito probably since the beginning of time. One thing we know for sure, without mosquito control, Florida would never have been the popular draw for tourists and retirees.

We're glad so many people qualified to run. People get to choose from a broad spectrum of talent for the four-year non partisan seats. Voters countywide vote in all three races. The candidates are:

Seat 1 -- Vivian Browning and Paul Linser

Seat 3 -- Janice Bequette and Gary Howell Sr.

Seat 5 -- Tim Chiu and Ronnie Radford

All support the district staying independent and not folding into county government as suggested by County Commission Chairman Tom Manuel. They also support a move from the present district operation on Old Beach Road, prone to coastal storms, to the district's already purchased land on State Road 16 west of Interstate 95.

Browning wears multiple hats. She is a St. Johns County real estate broker and has led many parts of the Vilano Beach redevelopment. Browning is a retired Duval County school administrator. Key assets are her business background, budget management and dealing with government bureaucracy as part of the Vilano Beach redevelopment team.

Linser has a Ph.D and is a professor of cell and molecular biology for the University of Florida Whitney Laboratory. Linser's primary research is the mosquito and continued eradication efforts. That makes him a knowledgeable liaison for the staff and director, Dr. Rudy Xue. Linser's background also includes the business viewpoint. For several years, he has been in charge of the annual Gamble Rogers Festival, requiring a span of skills including contracts, budgeting, logistics and working with county government.

Our pick is Linser because of the combination of skills he will bring.

In the race for Seat 3, we supported both candidates in their three-candidate primary; Janice Bequette, an environmental health and safety practitioner, and Gary Howell Sr., a former board member, who is retired from the Florida National Guard and the county school district.

Bequette wants more public involvement in solutions, better customer service, and a readjustment of the millage rate to the minimum possible. The district, she said, needs a long-range plan and the board should reconsider its closing of the Ponte Vedra substation.

Howell wants to return civility to the board, keep the millage rate low, a common-sense approach to aerial spraying and a strategic long-range plan.

Either would make a good choice. We haven't changed our mind.

In seat 5, Tim Chiu, a St. Augustine businessman and chemical engineer Ph.D., faces Ronnie Radford, a native of St. Augustine and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel.

Chiu favors the district developing cost-saving measures for its operations such as bio-diesel fuel and solar energy. One of Chiu's businesses is solar energy products. He supports efficiency in the operation, more educational programs for the public and an expanded continuing education for the staff. Chiu says he brings experience in budgeting and management and chemical engineering to the table.

Radford spent nine months as a volunteer on the district's helicopter study committee. The district board nixed the helicopter buy. Radford gained valuable expertise in how the district and the board operate during that time. He supports an aerial spraying program that is cost-efficient including the leasing of a helicopter when it is needed. He says the district can be more efficient overall in its work schedule, especially with seasonal employees. His military background and working in private industry have given him business experience. He calls himself a problem solver and a listener.

Radford is the right fit for the job at hand.


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