Five Questions For Mike Hill

June 25, 2013

Voters in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties two week ago elected Pensacola Republican Mike Hill to replace state Rep. Clay Ford, a Gulf Breeze Republican who died of cancer in March.

The founder of the Northwest Florida Tea Party, Hill used his conservative message to beat Democrat Jeremy Lau in House District 2, a Republican stronghold. Hill collected just under 58 percent of the vote, while Lau received about 42 percent.

Hill, 54, became the only black Republican in the Legislature. He’s a State Farm agent and U.S. Air Force Academy graduate. He’s been married for 30 years and has three children. State Republican Chairman Lenny Curry told Florida Public Radio on Friday he’s hiring an outreach coordinator for African-American voters and hopes Hill will be part of that effort.

Five questions for Mike Hill:

Q: Was there a specific event or issue that caused you to start the Northwest Florida Tea Party? Was there a point at which you said, “That’s it — I’m fed up?”

HILL: It was a culmination of many events, including the Florida increase in fees to register vehicles and renew license plates and driver’s licenses in 2009, and the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 2010.

The current Tea Party movement is a continuation of the spirit of patriots rising up against injustice. Its origins were before our Revolutionary War, though we can use that as a starting point. The original Boston Tea Party was a movement against the British tyranny. Once the tyranny has been defeated, then the Tea Party movement melts back into society ready to answer the call whenever tyranny rears its ugly head.

The Tea Party spirit was the catalyst that began the Abolitionist movement. The Tea Party was the spirit behind the women’s suffrage movement, and the civil rights struggles of the 1960s. And the current Tea Party movement is a push back to the overreaching, out of control government that we have at all levels. I want to be a part of that spirit that makes a stand against unjust government and that is why I started my old group. (I stepped down when I ran for this office).

Q: We keep hearing that the Tea Party movement has peaked. Does your election refute that, at least in the Panhandle?

HILL: I believe it does. The Tea Party believes in a constitutionally-limited government and the principles of limited government, low taxes, personal freedom and individual responsibility.

There is still a strong need for these principles. Perhaps the Tea Party has lost a few battles, but the fight against tyranny continues. I wouldn’t say that the Tea Party or being associated with it won my election. It was about those timeless principles that my constituents identified and connected with.

Q: As you head to Tallahassee, do you have any legislation in mind to sponsor?

HILL: I want to be a champion of liberty. I will support legislation that removes unnecessary rules, regulations, and burdens from people and businesses. That kind of legislation creates prosperity. I will support legislation that champions the sanctity of life and protects the family. I would like to see a rollback of many, if not all, of the fee increases passed a few years ago like the vehicle license fee, because we need to return more money back to the citizens of this state as our economy improves.

Q: You came from behind in the primary against the establishment GOP candidate. How?

HILL: By staying on message of wanting to be a servant leader that will provide good public policy. Good public policy will answer these questions: One, is it constitutional? Two, is it fiscally responsible? Three, what problems will it fix in both the short term and long term? And four, is it morally sound? I worked hard and stayed true to my message and didn’t try to be something I was not. My conservatism is genuine and from the heart and that clearly resonated with the voters who were looking for a servant leader, not a business-as-usual politician.

Q: As a black conservative, you’ll be in demand for leadership in the House — are you interested?

HILL: I do not know why simply because I am black and a conservative that I should be considered for leadership. I want to be considered for any position based solely on the content of my character, my commitment to conservative principles, and because I have the courage to not waver from providing good public policy in the face of special interests who might demand otherwise. If I am a leader among my fellow members, it should be because I have the character to stand firm on my values.

Comments

9 Responses to “Five Questions For Mike Hill”

  1. Mike J. on June 26th, 2013 9:04 am

    Kathy, I don’t think you actually read this article and/or understand it. Tea Party is TEA which is Taxed Enough Already. He will be fighting to lower YOUR taxes, too. Apparently the historical context of the Boston Tea Party is lost on you. Mike Hill explains it very well. Those who act like children are the Occupy movement who trash their protest sites and assault women or like the union protests in Michigan who destroyed a food vendor’s tent and equipment and physically attacked conservative reporters. Yet the Tea Party rallies are respectful, they clean up the site before leaving, there is no violence, and nobody is arrested. Rules and regulations are what separates civilized people from barbarians. I’m sorry you don’t understand that. I hope someday you do. Have a nice day!

  2. c.w. on June 25th, 2013 2:28 pm

    This guy Hill may be the best thing sliced bread, but he is a insurance man and he will have to prove himself. The insurance industry tries to control everyone and everything. I will wait and see!

  3. Safebear on June 25th, 2013 12:08 pm

    One thing I wondered was why he ran so many television ads. I never saw one add for the guy he was running against. It seemed every time I turned on the tv, there was Mike Hill. If he is so responsible with money, I would think he would have seen his ads were saturating the airwaves and may have backed off some. Seemed like a waste to me so it makes me wonder how he’s going to handle taxpayer money now.

  4. hylton on June 25th, 2013 8:50 am

    Mr. Hill, thank you for your service…. finally, a good, wholesome , unafraid man who wants our country back.

  5. xpeecee on June 25th, 2013 8:42 am

    HILL: I do not know why simply because I am black and a conservative that I should be considered for leadership. I want to be considered for any position based solely on the content of my character, my commitment to conservative principles, and because I have the courage to not waver from providing good public policy in the face of special interests who might demand otherwise. If I am a leader among my fellow members, it should be because I have the character to stand firm on my values.

    How could any sane, moral, decent person argue against that. Please do not change, Sir. America needs you!!! :)

  6. sharon on June 25th, 2013 8:21 am

    We need more good men and women like Mike Hill to represent us. He is a gentleman, who will work will with others. He thinks through the long term effects of an action and is able to explain his reasoning to others effectively. He stands on principle not party. God bless him and those who serve with him as they make decisions that effect the citizens of Escambia county and Florida!

  7. Sandra on June 25th, 2013 7:22 am

    Kathy, in that article the forest was glaring at you but you couldn’t see it for the trees. One only has to look at Mr. Hill’s stance on ever growing government intrusion and the erosion of our freedoms and privacy by said government to know that he is a good spokesman for his constituency.

  8. kathy@frontier.net on June 25th, 2013 5:55 am

    I am sorry but how intelligent people could elect someone who claims to be a Tea Partier is crazy. They understand half concepts and act like children when it comes to rules and regulations. They also speak with forked tongues. The republican party is about nothing but RULES AND REGULATONS. Look at Texas new tighter abortion rules, it infringes on personal rights. But Big Business can do what it wants.

  9. jcellops on June 25th, 2013 1:40 am

    wise, wise man…i applaud his strength for maintaining his focus on the priciples of our countries original founders as he begins his career in politics- i would also like to sincerely thank him for his military service to our country! wish i could have voted for him….maybe someday :)

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News