Lance Shortt is working to develop name recognition far in advance of the Nov. 7, 2006, election.
By REBECCA CATALANELLO, Times Staff Writer
Published August 5, 2005
So, you haven't heard of Lance Shortt?
That's what he figured.
The 43-year-old father of three is running for Pasco County School Board District 5 - an election that doesn't take place for one year, three months and two days. "I have a lot of ground to cover," said Shortt, who's recently become one of a handful of regular School Board meeting attendees.
This is Shortt's first run at public office. And he knew developing name recognition would take a while. So, even if you didn't feel like talking about politics this far in advance of the Nov. 7, 2006, election, he's hoping you'll come around.
The District 5 School Board seat has been held by Kathleen Wolf for 19 years. Wolf, 62, said Wednesday that she's "leaving my options open at this point" on whether to pursue another term. There are no other declared candidates.
Shortt, a Hudson resident for 30 years, said he was inspired to run for the west Pasco seat after years of volunteering as a parent at Hudson Middle School. He said he got the idea during conversations with Hudson's principal, Steve Van Gorden, also Dade City Commissioner.
Though Shortt opposed the Penny for Pasco sales tax measure last year, he said he wants to ensure that the dollars the district receives from it are being used equitably. He opposes making the superintendent's position appointed rather than elected, as it is now. Voters will have a chance to decide whether to move to an appointed schools chief during the November 2006 election.
Shortt said that if elected, he would lobby the Legislature to rethink its use of the FCAT standardized test as the primary determiner for schools. The emphasis on the test, Shortt said, is prompting administrators to cut needed fine arts programs and classes that give students who don't attend college basic life skills.
Though School Board races are nonpartisan, Shortt says he is a lifelong Republican. He graduated from Hudson High in 1980 and three years later received an associate's degree from Pasco-Hernando Community College. He said he never has been politically active.
His most recent job was in the construction industry in the late 1980s, he said. In 1984, at age 22, Shortt suffered an on-the-job injury while working for a cable company - an accident that resulted in the loss of his right arm.
"There are very few jobs someone in my condition can do," Shortt said, "but I think this is one of them."
School Board members are responsible for setting the budget, making policy and hiring employees. They serve four-year terms with a current annual salary of $34,393.
Shortt and his wife, Denise, have three children, Tiffany, 21, Erin, 16, and Cody, an eighth-grader at Hudson Middle.
