Republican running against Democrat Long -- and GOP leaders?

JULY 17, 2009

Larry Ahern, a pool remodeling business owner from St.Petersburg, has begun running against Rep. Janet Long for the Florida House District 51 seat in 2010.

Ahern, a Republican who is a member of St. Pete's nuisance abatement board, said he's worried about how the Legislature has spent taxpayers' money.

"They’re spending money at a frantic pace," Ahern said today. "That they stayed on longer and ended up balancing it (the budget) with stimulus money caused me some concern."

That would include the Republican leadership running the Legislature?

"It includes everyone. I just don’t know where it stops, and it doesn’t look like anybody wants to take responsibility, to say we have to take responsibility," Ahern said.

Ahern filed July 8 to run against Long, D-Seminole, so there's no fundraising reported for him yet. Long has reported raising nearly $26,000 through June 30.

-- David DeCamp, Times staff writer

Posted by tampabaycom at 4:40:07 pm on July 17, 2009 in

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