Endorsements: Francis Rooney our Republican choice for Congress

Francis Rooney, who has a strong background in the construction business and in international trade, receives our endorsement for the congressional seat in the 19th District, which will be vacated by Rep. Curt Clawson, R-Bonita Springs in January, and includes most of Lee County and a part of Collier.

Rooney’s opponents are Chauncey Goss, who received The News-Press endorsement when Trey Radel won the seat in 2012, and Dan Bongino, a former U.S. Secret Service agent during President George W. Bush's and part of Barack Obama's administrations.

The winner of this race will face Democratic challenger Robert Neeld and a write-in candidate in the Nov. 8 general election. Whomever the victor, the new representative will be expected to champion the area’s water quality initiatives as well as the state’s Everglades restoration, water storage and flow-way efforts. The federal government lags more than $1 billion behind in matching funds for many of the state’s water projects and the congressman must be vigilant in helping secure that money.

Rooney agrees with most scientists and environmentalists, supporting storing water and filtering of harmful pollutants that flow from Lake Okeechobee and rerouting water away from the Caloosahatchee into the Shark Slough, the Everglades and Florida Bay.

Besides water quality, Rooney emphasizes “defeating radical Islam” and wiping “ISIS off the face of the earth,” as well as developing policies at the federal level to promote small business creation and growth.

A resident of Naples, Rooney helped build a $5 billion business as CEO of Manhattan Construction Group and chairman of Rooney Holdings, Inc.

He supports restoring incentives to help agricultural and industrial growth that have been part of Republican platforms since 1948. He supports tariffs on other countries that restrict a U.S. worker's ability to get a job and maintain a fair wage and hurt U.S. production.

Rooney, who has served on the board of two hospitals, wants a more competitive health care system, using public and private options. “I want to break down the barriers to interstate competition,” he said. Also, “I don’t think it is right that people in Canada pay less for drugs than we do.”

Rooney's business experience and pragmatism would serve Southwest Florida well.

Rooney understands our nation faces deep threats with ISIS and he would stop all flights from the United States that also travel to Iraq and Syria.

“We are at war with radical Islamic terrorism,” he said. "ISIS is hell-bent on killing innocent Americans and this administration has made us only weaker. ISIS must be destroyed.” Rooney says he will work to end defense cuts.

Goss, 50, is a veteran of Washington politics, having worked on military contracts and fiscal policy in Congress and the White House with current House Speaker Paul Ryan. He also is rooted in the community, serving on various area committees, including as a board member of the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, the United Way and the Horizon Council. He is a member of the Sanibel City Council.

Preserving our environment with water projects that keep massive amounts of polluted water out of the Caloosahatchee estuary remains his top priority. He believes the federal government and state have not done enough to improve Florida’s waters and the Everglades. “In 2000, we passed CERP and in 16 years we have not made a lot of progress,” he said, referring to the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan.

He is concerned about the high turnover of this congressional seat with five representatives in the past 16 years and how that might impact the region's ability to drive federal funding of Florida’s critical water projects to the state.

Securing the border and keeping would-be illegal immigrants out of the U.S., especially from Mexico and Canada, remains a priority.

Bongino, 41, who handled complex security issues while a Secret Service agent, recognizes the imminent threat of ISIS and the importance of a national security plan that eradicates the group.

He does not believe mass shootings are on the increase in this country or taking guns from residents is the answer. “The debate is being driven entirely by emotion but it is something that needs to be backed up by data,” he said. “If gun control is the issue, why is gun ownership up? Criminals don’t like to mug someone who is armed."

He wants to reduce and simplify the tax code; wants patient-centered solutions, instead of Obamacare, and supports the University of Florida Water Institute's in-depth report on managing the state's water issues as the guide to creating and funding solutions.