Peter SchorschCertainly Mike Fasano is not the last honest man in Florida politics. There are still many, many decent, if not, virtuous elected officials. It’s just that pols like Trey Radel receive all of the headlines, so it’s easy to be cynical about government.
If there is an opposite to Radel, it’s Fasano, the former state representative turned state senator and then back to state representative who is now Pasco County’s Tax Collector.
If there is an opposite to a drug-addled, self-absorbed, one-term congressman, it’s a veteran of the Florida Legislature who ends almost every conversation by saying “God bless” while leaving you with the impression that God actually may be listening to his request.
To the rest of the country, especially those who view Florida as much a state of mind as it is an actual place, Trey Radel best symbolizes the state’s transient politics. Yet it is Mike Fasano who simply represents our best.
Think of it this way. If we could clone any single politician to represent us in every office, from governor to dog catcher, who would be a better choice than Fasano? There are smarter people and flashier leaders, but if we had to trust one guy or gal to look out for us, it would be Mike Fasano, the politician who ends many tweets with the hashtag #FortheLittleGuyAndGal.
Because he spent more time looking out for the little guy and gal, because he was involved in so many of the most pressing debates of the day, because his endorsement in a special election may have been the most important campaign development of the year, and because his future looks brighter and his influence is growing stronger heading into 2014, Mike Fasano is my choice for Florida Politician of 2013.
Fasano was at the center of the most important debate in state government — whether to accept $51 billion in federal funding to expand Medicaid. He courageously stood up to his fellow Republicans, including his protégé, Speaker Designate Richard Corcoran, by arguing that it would be unconscionable for the state NOT to take the money. The debates on the House floor between Fasano and his allies versus Corcoran and his colleagues was must-watch TV (if you enjoy watching The Florida Channel, that is).
In addition to fighting for Medicaid expansion, Fasano was engaged in any number of legislative debates. Many of them pitted him against the most entrenched special interests. Reforming Citizens Insurance, reining in the cost of sinkhole insurance, etc., Fasano has been omnipresent on several of the most important issues of the year.
Fasano does all of this, by the way, while being one of, if not the most, accessible and helpful elected officials in the state. If a lawmaker is better at constituent service than Fasano, feel free to point him out.
2013 was a momentous year for Fasano. He was appointed Pasco Tax Collector, resigning his seat in the Florida House. He is now set for decades with a platform from which he can influence local elections like no one else in Pasco County.
Which brings us to the Special Election for House District 36. Democrat Amanda Murphy’s win there has already been heralded as the beginning of the end of Republican hegemony in the state, while also being described as, yes, a bellweather for the 2014 election cycle.
And who shaped that race more than Fasano? His endorsement of Murphy was absolutely key to her winning, which, in turn, has Florida Democrats energized about legislative campaigns for the first time since 2006.
Expect more Fasano acolytes to make their way to the Legislature. Not only is Corcoran in line to become Speaker, but Fasano allies, including Danny Burgess in House District 38 and Chris Sprowls in House District 65, are good bets to win in 2014.
And don’t forget the election in 2014 that Fasano probably cares about most — the governor’s race. Were Fasano’s close friend, Charlie Crist, to win in November, it would be a significant victory for Fasano, who may very well help deliver Pasco County to Crist.
For these reasons and many more, including the indisputable truth that Mike Fasano is one of the best people, not just in politics, but in any walk of life, he deserves recognition as the Winner of the Year in Florida Politics.
