Candidate’s concerns inspire campaign

Alicia Robinson

A small-business owner and a longtime rowing coach, Paul C. Wilkins

is a newcomer to politics, but he thinks more concerned citizens like

him are needed in Congress.

Wilkins and two other Democrats, Jim Brandt and Tan D. Nguyen, are

seeking the 46th Congressional District seat in the March 2 primary.

Florida’s 2000 presidential election mess got Wilkins interested

in running for office. Both candidates in that election seemed more

interested in being declared the winner than in how people had

actually voted, he said.

While in Paris before U.S.-led war in Iraq, Wilkins said, he saw

how other nations viewed America’s foreign policy, and that cemented

his drive to become a legislator.

“I was really disturbed at how we didn’t take into account our

closest allies’ views on this action,” he said. “I thought it was a

mistake.”

Government needs to be made more accountable to the will of the

people, and that is Wilkins’ goal, he said.

“What I tell people is I’m a concerned citizen and I think what

the framers of the Constitution had in mind is that the House of

Representatives would be people that are interested in the issues and

interested in bettering the public good,” Wilkins said.

A business owner and working man, Wilkins said he represents the

core of the Democratic party. He’s also long been involved with

higher education as a collegiate rowing coach.

“We mentor young people, and we lead and we teach every day,” he

said. “It’s a very specialized kind of teaching.”

If Wilkins wins the primary and so does incumbent Rep. Dana

Rohrabacher, Wilkins said he knows there’s only a slim chance he’ll

defeat the congressman in the fall.

But citizens are tired of rampant federal spending and not seeing

their interests represented by their legislators, and he could help

change that, he said.

“I think we need more concerned citizens to get involved,” he

said.