Candidate Profile - Personal Information

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1 1. Candidate's Name: 2. Address: Candidate Profile - Personal Information Wenda A Lewis 7901 SW 45 Lane 3. City: Gainesville, FL Zip: Telephone Numbers: 5. Address: x 225 Home Cell Office wlewis@lewisoilco.com 6. Highest Degree Earned: (from what Institution?) 7. Current Occupation: 8. Current Employer: 9. Notable Previous Employment: 10. Family Description: BS Liberal Arts Marketer/Distributor (Petroleum Commercial/Retail) Lewis Oil Co., Inc. 11. How are you involved in your community? I have worked in and around my family business all my life. For eight years I worked out of state in Washington, DC and Birmingham, AL in Markting and Sales 2 Brothers, mother, father (deceased), and a large extended family across 10 counties in North Central Florida. I mostly work with the Alzheimer s Community, but I have served as Chairman of the American Heart Association, Chaired the Alachua Early Learning Coalition, Served as precinct Committeewoman on the Alachua REC, Raised 40K for local school STEM educations, Raised over 500K for local Alzheimer s Programs, Commissioner on the Florida Commission on the Status of Women, Board of Director on the Florida Alzheimer s Disease Initiative, Member of Florida Blue Key, Executive Board of Florida Retail Association, Executive Board of Florida Petroleum Marketers Association, (FPMA). 12. What boards have you served on? Florida Retail Federation; Florida Petroleum Marketers Association; Alachua County Early Learning Coalition; Alachua County REC; Al z Place; Alzheimer s Association of NCF; Florida Commission on the Status of Women; Florida Alzheimer s Disease Initiative. 13. Who are some people you admire most and why do you admire them? My Father: He inspired me to succeed at everything I did. He encouraged me to excel in the rough and tumble world of jobbers, and he was funny. My Mother: She was the one that demanded manners and decorum, she insisted I take school seriously, and was the one who brought the piano and books into my life. Condoleezza Rice: She is a model for all women who take their careers seriously. She is smart, hardworking, and successful. Her life story from her childhood in Mississippi to her 4 years as Secretary of State is an inspiration. 14. Who in your community would you go to for trusted advice? My attorney, accountant, and mother; I have a circle of friends and business associates who are excellent listeners and give good, sound advice to me on any number of issues. 15. Three Qualities Leaders Possess: I am intelligent, hard-working and a proven track record of breaking down barriers.

2 16. Office being sought: House District: X Senate District: 17. Party Affiliation: Republican Length of Time: 35 years 18. What is your one guiding principle or core value? Honesty, starting with myself; loyalty, not necessarily to a person, but to principles; and, hard work. 19. Briefly describe your political involvement: Although I was Alachua County Republican Woman of the Year, I mostly was on the fundraising and organizational side of things. I have supported many candidates financially in their efforts for office. This is my first run for office, so I have no first-hand experience (I did help a few friends run for office, but mostly as a friend helping out with volunteers, stuffing envelopes, neighborhood walks, and phone banking.) 20. Have you ever been a previous candidate for political office? (IF YES) What Office: Outcome of race: 21. Campaign Organization and Structure: General Consultant: Anthony Pedicini and Alex Patton Campaign Web Address: Facebook Page Name: Manager: Ryan Finney Treasurer: Wenda Lewis Media: David Millner Pollster: Meer Research Advisors: Jack Latvala, Anthony Pedicini and Alex Patton facebook/wendaforflorida Campaign Budget Amount: $250, Why are you running for this office? To bring the voice of the family/small business to Tallahassee. My business is one of those that have multiple points of contact with government, regulators, and bureaucrats. Every day, I have to defend my business against unfunded mandates, excessive regulations, onerous rules/laws, and zealous inspectors. I run a clean, by the book shop and it becomes harder with each passing year to make a profit. At some point, businesses like mine have to make tough decisions to balance benefits and salaries to keep good employees and to keep from going out of business. Either way, something has to give. If Florida is going to keep its economic house in order, sensible and reasonable regulations and laws are needed. I will be in the House to listen to the family businesses and represent their needs. Also, the University of Florida is in the district and I will make it my priority to represent their needs to the state. No 23. Why should the business community support your candidacy: First, I am the only businessperson in the race. My two primary opponents have worked for the government almost, if not all their lives. The Democrat is also a government employee. I think you can judge a person by the level of responsibility they take on and succeed. I represent my 25 employees, my clients, my vendors, and my professional associates. My opponents represent college professors, university administrators, donors, and students. I am in the business community and they are in the academic community. 24. List by priority the top three (3) Legislative Committees you would like to be assigned: Committee 1: Economic Affairs (Economic Development and Tourism Subcommittee) Committee 2: Education Committee (Higher Education)

3 Committee 3: Health and Human Services Committee 25. Are there any organizations which you would NOT accept donations from? If so, please list: I doubt liberal groups want to support me. However, my campaign staff does review my donors and we do our best to make sure they, as individuals, don t have any personal issues that could reflect poorly on my campaign. 26. Opponents and the media research public records, police reports, credit information and do other background checks in an effort to discover tax liens, lawsuits, arrest records and other unfortunate things. Are there any issues your opponent could use against you that you should disclose to this group? I run a 53 year old business, there are court records all over North Central Florida concerning Lewis Oil, but it s the regular stuff you d expect, contractual issues, property issues, small claims, small lawsuits, etc. These things resolve themselves and almost always in my company s favor. However, once, a few years ago, I hired two people with a criminal background. The personal recommendations were good, but they slipped through the back ground checks and were employed. They were stealing from our company but accused me and my company of malfeasance. Eventually, the investigators figured out it was a false accusation and those two employees went to jail for theft, fraud and stalking. II. Issue Questions Talent Supply & Education 27. What changes would you recommend to Florida's K-12 system of education? Please address school funding. I want to continue the House s progress in giving parents economic freedom, making certain that local schools remain under local control. I also believe in expanding our vocational programs to help provide students not prepared or unable to go to college. These vocational programs would offer training to prepare students to enter the workforce. 28. As an extension of the school day and to help end "Generational Pverty" would you support funding affordable afterschool programs that provide assistance with homework, delinquency prevention, life skills and the development of good character for Florida's working families? Yes 29. What is your position regarding the ability of teachers unions and other public-sector unions to collectively bargain issues that are beyond the typical employment issues directly tied to hours worked and wages/benefits paid? I would limit negotiations to issues concerning conditions of employment. 30. How would you address the shortage of qualified talent to fill jobs in STEM-related fields? I would continue to emphasize STEM-related education programs and support additional local efforts to help local school districts emphasize them. 31. What are your thoughts about having a series of benchmarks designed to create a minimum standard for Math and Language Arts throughout the United States? I support local control and standards for local schools. Rural counties may have different economic pursuits than other counties and may want a different curriculum. We need state standards with local flexibility. 32. What changes would you support that improve workforce development in the state of Florida?

4 Let the open market do most of the directing and development. The state can step in with its role of enforcing legal contracts, holding regulations to a reasonable level so as to not delay economic development, and adjusting local educational policy to compensate for new training and development. An innovative economy has a firm foundation of everyday, ordinary small businesses (dry cleaners, sandwich shops, doctors offices, etc.), allowing room for economic risk and intellectual growth. The state should encourage private enterprise and respond only in a supporting role during growth and use its authority only during crisis (such as greening in the citrus industry). R&D can be within the area of the state, specifically through the universities, issuance of grants. The market will tell the state what direction the economy wants to go. Keep the ordinary small business economy healthy and prosperity will follow. 33. What changes should be made to Florida's higher education system? Hoping to be the state representative from the district of the University of Florida, I will work to preserve UFs primacy in the state university system for R&D, graduate studies, IFAS and Shands. I see the university system as a significant part of Florida s economic, educational, and cultural development and will trust the university leadership to guide the system towards greater excellence. Innovation & Economic Development 34. What can the state do to continue to strengthen its position as a worldwide hub for trade? Florida, specifically Miami, is the capital of the Southern Hemisphere. We house security infrastructure, banking, and diplomatic consulates. It is important we continue this cultural, diplomatic, and economic relationship and extend it to West Africa. Florida sits in the trade lanes of the Iberian Peninsula, Coastal African, Caribbean Islands, Central, South America, Panama Canal (and possible construction of a Nicaraguan Passage), some Southeast Asian routes. Florida needs to pay attention to its roads, ports, rail lines, airports, and possibly develop coastal water routes. An authority of the state is development and maintenance of infrastructure. A world class cyber security infrastructure is absolutely necessary. Florida needs a strong US Military presence as well and a top notch Coast Guard on the coast to assure our international partners Florida is a secure and safe place to do business. Florida has very specific and specialized educational and economic needs from the rest of the country. 35. Please discuss any ideas you may have to enhance the growth and development of the following economic sectors. Manufactoring: I would welcome any responsible manufacturer to Florida and point out the diversification of the economy through the establishment of manufacturing in Florida. The main idea to enhance the growth and development of any segment of Florida s economy is to have a strong economic base of small businesses, a responsible educational system, and a business friendly government. Agriculture: A tax policy exempting agricultural equipment and supplies is important, common agreement defining best practices is necessary, and an understanding that environmental regulations impact agriculture first and hardest are all ideas to advance the agricultural sector. Construction:

5 In District 21 we have a county commission so antagonistic to business I decided to run for state house. Construction is the first thing they have stifled to the point all growth in the county has ceased and business is all but stagnant. My suggestion is that when county commissions become so destructive to local economies, the state enact special provisions to place local reform referendums on the county ballot as a way to allow the voters a way out of ideological deadlock and economic stagnation. Hospitality/Tourism: In this day and age, security and safety. The market has done an outstanding job creating places for tourist to visit. Healthcare: Until the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) is repealed and the market restored, almost nothing new can be done. Florida is clearly poised to be not just a tourist destination but a medical treatment destination. We need to concentrate our funding on R&D at our universities, offer grants to innovative programs, and direct our resources to reflect our aging population (Alzheimer s). 36. What would you propose to diversify Florida's economy so that we better handle economic downturns? Most of this conversation has been about proposals to improve Florida s economy, so I d direct you to my previous answers, but economic downturns mostly begin in places far from Tallahassee, in China, Belgium, Washington, and the Middle East. We shouldn t create downturns ourselves, concentrate on the basic foundations of a small business economy, keep taxes low, regulations reasonable, and promote a business friendly attitude. Also, diversify the secondary economy (manufacturing, large commercial interests, government offices, etc.), keep agriculture healthy. Most importantly, stay healthy and diversify. Infrastructure & Growth Leadership 37. When is it appropriate for the legislature to shift money from a dedicated state trust fund to pay for other services? I think the word trust provides the answer. I have referenced contracts several times in my previous answers and if any lawyer, accountant, bank, or trustee violated his responsibility like the legislature did a few years ago when it swept trust fund after trust fund, they would be in big trouble and the exact arguments legislators used to justify their actions would not have been accepted in court. The only circumstance I can imagine sweeping trust funds makes sense is in a crisis so severe preserving the trust fund is pointless because everything else is at risk. 38. There is a widening gap between infrastructure needs and infrastructure funding. Would you support private investment in public infrastructure projects in order to meet infrastructure needs? Yes How would you propose private investors be repaid? Depending on the project, a bridge or road, a toll. An airport, canal, water project, or grid, user fees or surcharges. Public bonds are great tax shelters and could be attractive to unions, investment houses, banks, and the average citizen. 39. Philosophically, when considering the following issues, do you think the authority to set or regulate these areas should be at the Federal, State, Local or Regional Government level? Wages Federal Government Growth Management State Government Wetlands Use Water Supply Regional Government State Government Environmental Permitting State Government

6 Business Permits & Licenses State Government 40. What role should the state play in balancing the ability of electric utilities to provide safe, affordable and reliable electricity with the regulations of carbon emissions? As we have seen in our local community, when utilities are allowed to be co-opted for political ideology and agendas, customers can suffer. Carbon emissions are a very different thing than particulates, which is a state concern (environmental and health). I m not sure the state needs to concern itself with regulating carbon emissions. The opportunity is in investment and tax credits for clean energy technology. 41. What can the legislature do to address Florida's water quality and quantity needs? This is a regional, infrastructure, environmental, and technological issue (economic). If approached from the correct point of view, economic, then finding solutions become more apparent. A relationship with Georgia and Alabama is necessary, paying attention to growth down South and in the Gulf area is important. Fostering an atmosphere of cooperation between the north counties and the south counties, between urban needs and agricultural needs, and environmentalist and economic interests is important. Political leadership is the most important element in this issue because water is a vital and finite resource and everyone has a right to their share. Strong political leadership that understands water is ultimately an economic issue and everyone has a right to a share of a vital resource. Business Climate/Competitiveness 42. What are the three most important things the state legislature could do to improve Florida's business climate? 1: Create a business friendly reputation. 2: Keep taxes low and predictable. 3: Keep contract law fair, regulations reasonable, and enforcement impartial. 43. Florida does not currently have a sales tax on services. Several attempts have been made over the past decade to create a new tax on services in the state Constitution. Would you support creating a sales tax on services?ness testimony standards? No Explain: No explanation needed. 44. What is your position on collecting sales and use tax on transactions from out of state and online retailers? Support 45. What is your general philosophy on state and local taxes? Taxes are necessary, it is the ultimate expression of the regulatory authority of the state, and every dollar represents a little bit of someone s life; therefore, collect it fairly, spend it wisely, and remember, it s not your money. This applies to both state and local taxes. 46. Are there any taxes that should be increased? No 47. Do you believe hotels should or should not be required to include resort fees in the daily room rate to allow guests to comparison shop before they book a room? Should be requred Explain: I believe in transparency. I support a business friendly standing and transparency is part of that effort. If everyone report their true price, everyone is on a level playing field.

7 48. What are your thoughts on the number of lawsuits files in Florida? Should the state intervene to make it easier or more difficult to file a lawsuit? Explain: It is too easy to file lawsuits. I support a loser pay system so that everyone knows upfront that if you file a law suit you need to be real and ready. I believe mediation is not used enough as a remedy. 49. Would you support legislation that limits recovery for future medical care in personal injury lawsuits to what is "usually and customarily" paid to other medical providers in the community? Why? Yes. Damages are what is paid out. Why should someone get more than what their expenses are in relation to a specific litigated event? 50. Accuracy in Damages: Would you support legislation that limits the amount of money recoverable for medical care in personal injury lawsuits to the amount actually paid for the medical care versus the amount charged by the provider of the medical care? Why? I don t know enough about this to offer an informed opinion, but look forward to discussing the issue with you in detail. 51. In the context of a personal injury lawsuit, do you believe that it is reasonable to require an injured person seeking money from a liability insurance company to give the insurance company a (1) written notice of the claim and (2) a minimum of 45 days to investigate the claim and offer to pay the policy limits of the policy? Agree Why? Contracts are a two way street and if the community is going to have any order, everyone needs to play fair. Insurance companies are asked to adhere to the letter of their policies; it is only fair that some responsibility for the claim come from the claimant. Governance & Civic Systems 52. What is the proper role of state agencies in regulating prices for insurance companies, banks, medical providers and other regulated industries? Explain: Minimal. I have no problem with fairly earned profit, and competition. We have seen time and time again an innovative company break from the pack and offer a cut rate, a better service, or a more useful product. I also have no problem with the state stepping into to enforce fair play or force necessary market adjustments. 53. Government regulations continue to be the top concern for Florida's small business. What areas would you recommend reducing regulation and red tape? Primarily the duplication of oversight from federal, state, and local agencies all claiming jurisdiction over the same issue (EPA and DEP). The constant inability of one agency to accurately communicate their findings, rulings, or policies to other agencies as well as the lack of accountability attitude that seems to permeate these offices. 54. Both the Florida Retirement System Pension plan and Local Government-administered pension plan programs are experiencing a growing unfunded actuarial liability that is currently in excess of $31 billion. How do you propose to fill the funding gap in these guaranteed pension plans? In general, I feel for current employees the state should honor their commitments; for future employees I would support new hires coming into a defined contribution plan. The system is in need of reform, and I am open to ideas and options. 55. Should there be term limits for: Circuit/County Judges? Yes

8 Appellate Judges? Yes Supreme Court Judges? Yes Why? I believe in term limits. Quality of Life & Quality Places 56. Should the state of Florida be able to mandate that health insurance providers cover specific health conditions or benefits even if the mandates increase the cost of health insurance for employees and employers? Explain: No. However, Florida should do everything possible to open the insurance market across state lines and on-line to attract those companies that offer such plans. Instead of mandating coverages and benefits, allow companies to offer an open market pool for preexisting conditions, and independent riders for unusual benefits and coverages. In the event of uninsurable individuals or impoverished individuals, the state could offer coverage as part of the social contract. The state should not be in the business mandating contracts between private individuals and businesses. 57. Rising health care cost is a concern for Florida businesses and consumers. What would you propose that could help alleviate that burden? See above. 58. What is your position on Medicaid expansion? I am against Medicaid expansion. 59. What is your position on whether the state should prohibit balanced billing in emergency situations? Broader Arena? Balanced billing should not be applied to emergency situations. Given the current state of the law that requires indigent care, emergency services are a business loss. Otherwise, balanced billing is a good practice to allow providers to give excellent service at a premium. Pricing would need to be transparent so that the consumer can make that informed choice. It should be a willing exchange of payment for service. Removing insurance constraints from medical decisions creates a better environment for providers and better service to patients. 60. What is your suggestion to address the current workforce shortage of physicians and nurses in the state? Similar answer to STEM and the other educational questions. The universities could anticipate the market and respond early to them so the state s economy can continue to grow and remain stable and strong. One suggestion is for the universities to prioritize their course offerings and cut the non-economically viable ones, sending them to the local colleges and schools. It is serious getting caught short on important professionals like doctors and nurses. 61. What is your position on the expansion of gambling in Florida? Do not support. 62. Do you believe gambling should ever be expanded or current permitted gambling changed without an affirmative statewide vote of the people? No. FINAL THOUGHTS