Lawanna Gelzer, running as an Independent candidate to become the next Florida State House Representative for District 36, is challenging her opponents, incumbent Scott Randolph, a Democrat and Republican Greg Reynolds, to debate the issues that are important to the people of the district. Gelzer says that her opponents are refusing to debate the issues. She made these observations in a recent interview with West Orlando News Online. Noting that jobs, job training, education and public safety were all issues that the people of District 36 were grappling with, Gelzer said that her opponents are not discussing them.
“I want to tell you that my opponents are refusing to debate the issues. They have refused to show up to speak on the issues. As a matter of fact I went to the Center for Drug Free Living and the Home Builders Association of Metro Orlando”, Gelzer said. “They were at a table passing out literature but Scott Randolph didn’t get up on the stage to say one thing. That is avoiding the people that you need to represent because, there were a lot of people from my district there. So, I am calling him on the carpet.”
Gelzer added that while road and yard signs are nice, it is important for the candidates to discuss the key challenges which the community faces so that people know where each stands on the issues and how they plan on addressing them.
“So I have challenged him (Scott Randolph) and I am challenging him again”, Gelzer said. “What are you going to do about the community? And their avoiding discussing what’s important to the people is a prime example of Scott Randolph not respecting the people in the district–refusing to show up and refusing to talk about the issues.”
Gelzer said that while she is a registered Democratic, she is running as an Independent, against a Democratic “who has not served the community in four years” based on what people have been saying to her.
