David Fairey takes on Rep. Gregory, Florida’s ‘broken system’ in state House campaign
Sitting on the sidelines isn’t enough for David Fairey. He’s ready to take his own advice and bring structural reform to an array of “broken systems” in Florida.
“We tell our kids all the time that they need to get involved if they want to change the system,” said Fairey, who is running as a Democrat against first-term Rep. Tommy Gregory, R-Sarasota, in District 73, which includes parts of eastern Manatee and Sarasota counties, in the Florida House of Representatives.
And Fairey, who works as a CFO at a Sarasota-based internet marketing company, says he has first-hand knowledge of just how broken the system is. A lack of affordable housing and the weight of student loan debt are issues that Fairey is familiar with.
“As an executive, I spend a lot of time in a disadvantaged system that’s rigged to become more oppressive for workers and more beneficial for the most wealthy, and it’s gearing more and more in that direction every day,” Fairey said in an interview with the Bradenton Herald.
“I understand that this is a broken system and the factors compound on one another. We have to stop acting like issues exist in separate silos,” he added.
At work, Fairey, 37, pushed for policies that alleviate some of those struggles for his employees. With his campaign to become a state representative, he’s ready to tackle these issues on a much larger scale.
Solving issues surrounding gun safety, healthcare and economic reform are Fairey’s top priorities. Democrat, Republican or independent, Fairey says, these are issues that everyone wants to figure out.
“These are nonpartisan issues. Most people’s party doesn’t matter when it’s about their child being safe at school. It’s the same with expanded healthcare,” Fairey explained. “We’re setting people up to fail constantly.”
Fairey argues that most voters want the same result: a safer community and healthy place to live. By focusing on the goal, instead of the means to get there, Fairey believes he would be able to find consensus with Republicans and Democrats alike.
“I have the data to show that we all want gun safety, healthcare and educational reform. It’s about the framing of the language and the goals,” he said. “I’ve spoken to skeptical Republicans who admit that they’d be OK with higher taxes if the result is that their bank balance is actually higher at the end of the day.”
An uncorrectable vision impairment that causes nearsightedness had a profound effect on Fairey’s character. It caused his childhood classmates and peers to make up preconceived notions that he wasn’t as good as they were.
“My visual issue certainly isn’t the worst thing in the world. There are people that deal with much more than I do, whether that’s race, gender or sexual orientation.” Fairey said. “Having said that, what it did give me was a sense of empathy. I know in some small way how that internal wound feels, and it made me very sensitive to other marginalized groups.
“It is the core of my fire at the end of the day,” he added. “There are groups that have been treated way worse for much longer, and I know how horrible that feels sometimes.”
Fairey, who has launched his campaign in August, has an uphill battle against Gregory in a Republican-heavy district that voted him into office by nearly 24 percentage points in his 2018 race against Democrat Liv Coleman. As the only candidate filed to run against Gregory, Fairey’s challenge is clear.
The incumbent lawmaker has a head start on fundraising, raising $39,700 since filing for re-election last December. Fairey’s campaign reeled in just over $8,000 in monetary donations in August and September. With a pledge to truly represent his constituents, Fairey is looking to put up a real fight in 2020.
“Everybody matters. Every group deserves to be heard. I will fight for their families just as hard as I fight for my own. We need big structural change,” Fairey said.
For more information on David Fairey’s campaign, visit Fairey2020.com.
This story was originally published October 25, 2019 at 11:36 AM.
