Mayor Bob Hackworth:

Ever since I began my campaign, I have been clear that I wanted to be a true citizen-legislator, not a career politician, and that I would not serve more than four terms. This pledge is not a new position, but something I have been saying from the beginning. Our campaign has always been about change and new leadership, but that will not happen if the same people are representing us, decade after decade.

My opponent has been in Washington for thirty-eight years and I believe that is thirty years too long. As mayor of Dunedin, I have been able to cut taxes, expand the number of parks, and bring new economic development to our community and it did not take me decades to do it.

We need change – both here and in Washington – and part of that is saying “no” to becoming a career politician. Too many politicians have lost touch with the communities they represent and, at the same time, they are collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from insurance companies, big oil and other special interests.

If the voters send me to Washington, they know that I am not going there to collect a government salary for the next four decades. I have heard all the arguments for keeping our representatives in Washington for thirty or forty years, but I do not believe that our community or our nation benefits from politicians treating elected office as a lifetime appointment.

Bob Hackworth is the Mayor of Dunedin. He was elected in 2006 after previously serving as a City Commissioner.