Democrat Tim Cunha challenges Stearns for Congress

Democrat Tim Cunha challenges Stearns for Congress
May/June 2008

Cliff Stearns, the entrenched conservative Republican who’s been safely ensconced in the sprawling, gerrymandered North Florida Congressional District 6, will face a new opponent this Fall. Tim Cunha ( pronounced cun-ya) will pick up from prior challenger Dave Bruderly and try to take District 6 back to the Democrats. Tim is a resident of Ocala, and while he is new to Florida, he is not new to politics.

He started in politics at the age of 13, registering voters in suburban New Jersey. Elected in the Democratic primary as the youngest ever member of a county political committee in New Jersey at 16, he went on to serve as a municipal chair and county vice-chair at 19, and was elected to his local government at the age of 22, the only Democrat in a staunchly Republican town. He managed campaigns for county, state, and federal offices while in high school and college, and when he returned to New Jersey after completing law school. at Rutgers University and Georgetown University Law Center. He’s still licensed as an attorney-at-law, in New Jersey, and for many years taught honors seminars at Rutgers on topics of legal and political philosophy, justice, and globalization. He also practiced dispute resolution as a family and commercial mediator.

He has extensive experience in forming and managing entrepreneurial companies in diverse fields including the manufacture of engineering and surveying instrumentation, development and production of state-of-the-art graphics computers, and technical book publishing. His business career has equipped him to understand and appreciate both the perils and potential of small business, and the constant struggle “Main Street” has competing with the special interests of “Wall Street.”

For the past nine years he has worked in the field of biological research, providing expertise in sales management, marketing, manufacturing processes, research and development. His scientific work in the areas of obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and nutrition have been presented in poster sessions at various scientific meetings and is the subject of upcoming journal articles.

There will be a lot of political races to plug into, and with our local races Mike Byerly and Eileen Roy will be facing strong challenges. But for now, early on, consider trying to help Tim Cunha to get his campaign going. Thus far he’s the only Democrat in the race, and may be the only one. Plug in, to his or any other Democrats campaign through the local Gainesville party headquarters at 901 NW 8th Ave; phone 352-373-1730, or go to Tim’s website at www.timcunha.com.