Perry Thurston Elected Next House Demo Leader
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Plantation state Rep. Perry Thurston Jr. on Tuesday was elected the leader of the House Democrats starting in 2012.
The victory over state Rep. Joe Gibbons of Hallandale Beach was 28-11.
Thurston Speaks
“Joe didn’t understand that the members who told him that they were undecided had told Perry they were voting for him,” said one Democratic member.
Although the Democrats are in the minority — That’s an understatement. There are 81 Republicans and 39 Democrats. — the Democratic leader still has a role to play. Traditionally the Democratic leader has helped named his party members to various committees and acts as a liaison with the House Speaker.
In addition, Thurston will head the Democratic effort on reapportionment. This is important to Broward, which has so many Democratic House members.
The Republican Speaker in 2012 is scheduled to be Will Weatherford of Wesley Chapel in the Tampa area. Democrats say Thurston has a good relationship with Weatherford.
The House Democrats media office offered this bio of Thurston in a news release today:
Representative Thurston is a third-generation Floridian and a graduate of Broward County Public Schools and Morehouse College. He attended the University of Miami’s School of Law, where he earned a Jurist Doctorate degree in 1987. He joined the Broward County Public Defender’s Office in 1988 as an assistant public defender. He moved into private practice in 1992, specializing in criminal defense and public finance.
Representative Thurston was first elected to the House District 93 seat in 2006. He was reelected in 2008 and 2010. He is married to the former Dawn Board. He and his wife have two children, Alison Thurston and Perry E. Thurston, III (Trey).
March 8th, 2011 at 2:09 pm
Congratulations Rep. Thurston! Now let’s win some seats back!
March 8th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
Thurston needs to mount an immediate and intense effort to win some seats back and to draw some winnable seats in 2012. We can’t wait for that idiot Mitch Ceasar to do anything because he won’t.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Congrats Perry. Go give those 81 Repubs hell.
March 8th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Congrats, Rep. Thurston!
March 9th, 2011 at 7:07 am
If Third rate do nothing Perry is what the Democrats elect and he comes from Broward County, imagine the rest of the state. The Democrats have no hope.
March 9th, 2011 at 11:46 am
Congrats to Rep. Thurston….. but what a crappy job he’s inheriting!!!
Then again, it might be a fun one… all you have to do is shout and holler about what the majority is doing… that’s probably more fun than it sounds like!!!
Actually, it DOES sound like fun.
Kevin