Frazier Marshall, Businessman, Community Activist,
Seeks Election To Leesburg City Commission

BY LOUIS C. WARD

     LEESBURG - Frazier Marshall, candidate for Leesburg City Commission, District 3, said, “If I win, the constituents win!”Married with three children, Marshall is a businessman, and has been a Leesburg resident for more than 30 years.Marshall has a well thought out agenda for the people he wants to represent. Some items include reducing electric bills, improving public services, better performing schools, building relationships with other agencies to improve the quality of life for all Leesburg residents, higher paying jobs, and economic development.Marshall realizes this is a lot for a first time commissioner and even one who is seeking re-election. His compassion and zeal to put his best effort forward is entrenched in his ability to build viable working partnerships with others who desire to make Leesburg one of the best cities in Lake County.We need jobs, many of our residents are unemployed or underemployed, said Marshall, who is working with Goodwill Industries and Dark Fiber, to provide employment in the area. Marshall knows Jobs will spearhead economic development and many other positive spinoffs, like a decrease in crime, and some families will be restored.An advocate and a life coach for the intellectually disabled, Marshall knows how to fight, and what’s needed to win important battles. Commenting on district 3’s poor performing schools, Marshall wants City Commissioners and Lake County School Board members to create a viable working partnership to bring resources into our school to better serve the children. Some items he feels will improve our students are mentoring programs and workshops that will illustrate how to improve parental skills and parent participation in their child’s education.Compassionate about building partnerships with organizations, churches and other city agencies to serve the constituents, Marshall understands that he has only one vote, and will need two more commissioners to vote for his items to get it pass. He feels the experience he gleamed from being a member of the City’s Planning and Zoning Commission, being the treasurer of Leesburg’s Community Development Corporation, owning two successful businesses, and being involved in the Leesburg community for decades have well prepared him to be able to reach across the aisle and effectively communicate and strategize to get things done.“I can’t promise that I will be able to get all the items on my agenda passed, but I do promise to fight and serve my constituency the best I can,” said Frazier Marshall, who feels “I am the best candidate for City Commission District 3.”Marshall said he has a plan to build partnerships, and through partnerships our most vulnerable constituents, the elderly, homeless, low income families, and our youth will have an opportunity to improve their quality of life.Frazier Jerome Marshall said, “If I win, my constituents win. Help me break the barriers and build a bridge for the future!”



 

It Matters To Me: Leveling The Playing Field
 

BY CHIEF VAL DEMINGS

     ORLANDO - When I was growing up I watched my father, James Leroy Butler, work full-time as a janitor. But, that job was never enough to support our family. He had to pick up several odd jobs, working seven days a week to make ends meet for our family.

There were days we would come home and the electricity had been turned off. I remember some rainy days when we had to get the buckets out to catch the rain coming through our leaky roof, and it wasn't uncommon for us to eat a pot of something one night, and a pot of the same thing several more nights that week. I now know my mother, Elouise Laura Butler, was a miracle worker by making a lot out of very little.

Sadly, not a lot has changed for many families in Florida. The wage gap in America is the widest its ever been, and continues to grow, with the profits being made at the very top not being passed on to the workers. Working families continue to work harder and harder, only to get further behind. 

One of the reasons I was first persuaded to run for Congress back in 2012 was because a top Congressional leader reminded me that 1 in 4 children go to bed hungry. I've seen firsthand throughout my career the devastating effects childhood poverty has, first as a social worker and later as a law enforcement officer. It's a reality that should keep you up at night, and one of the things that drives me to fight for the working class. 

According to a recent study from the Economic Policy Institute, Florida has the fifth highest income inequality in the nation. The study found that the top one percent makes nearly 35 times more than the bottom 99%. The average income for the top 1% is $1.27 million, while the average income for the bottom 99% is $36,530. These numbers are unacceptable. In Congress, I will fight to protect the most vulnerable people, and work to pass legislation that will increase the federal minimum wage and ensure that small businesses are able to grow and prosper.

We know that education is the key to success and I will work hard to make sure everyone, regardless of the color of their skin, size of their bank account or zip code they live in, has the same access to quality education.

We know that every student will not go to college, and we need to make sure that those students who don't go to college can gain vocational job skills training through apprenticeships that prepare them to make a decent wage. I will also ensure that our seniors who want to retire, can do so with the respect and dignity they deserve. We can no longer afford to sit back and watch as the disparity grows, here in Central Florida and across the nation. These are real issues facing the people of Central Florida, and it's going to take a different type of leader to get the job done. I want to be that leader for you, that holds America to its' promise. It matters to me.