EDITORIAL ENDORSEMENT | By Katrina Salokar, Editor and Publisher of the East Lee County News, The ROAR
Florida’s 19th Congressional District needs a representative who understands Congress, can evaluate legislation, advocate for federal resources and operate an effective district office. In evaluating this race, I considered the duties of the office, relevant experience, stated priorities, ability to serve District 19 and preparedness to navigate the federal government. After reviewing those responsibilities and Ola Hawatmeh’s experience, I endorse Hawatmeh for the United States House of Representatives in Florida’s 19th Congressional District.
Experience That Fits the Job
A member of Congress must study and vote on federal legislation, serve on committees, oversee federal agencies, review government spending, and represent the district. For Southwest Florida, that means addressing water quality, hurricane preparedness, FEMA, infrastructure, agriculture, veterans, Social Security, Medicare, housing and small-business concerns. It also means maintaining an accessible district office capable of helping residents navigate federal agencies.
Hawatmeh’s strongest qualification is her service as a senior policy adviser in the office of U.S. Rep. Victoria Spartz of Indiana. Hawatmeh says she joined the office during a period of major staff turnover and assumed substantial policy and legislative responsibilities. According to Hawatmeh, she met with constituents, worked on veterans, agriculture and health care issues, helped seek cosponsors for legislation and attended congressional committee hearings. She also describes involvement in negotiations surrounding major federal spending legislation, Spartz’s vote for Mike Johnson as Speaker of the House and an amendment associated with the Farm Bill.
Hawatmeh has provided East Lee County News with information regarding her congressional service, although some specific legislative assignments and outcomes remain difficult to document independently because much of a congressional staff member’s work occurs behind the scenes. Voters should continue asking for details about the legislation and results connected to her efforts. Even with those questions, Hawatmeh’s congressional employment supports her central claim that she has firsthand knowledge of the legislative process. Advising a member of Congress is not the same as holding the office, but her experience provides a foundation that could allow her to enter Congress familiar with its procedures, pressures and political realities.
Why That Experience Matters Now
With urgent infrastructure, water and hurricane-resiliency needs before us, experience navigating Congress would be a meaningful advantage from the first day in office. Communities throughout Lee County and Southwest Florida are growing rapidly while residents face pressing concerns involving water and sewer expansion, drainage, hurricane preparedness, roads and the rising cost of public infrastructure. Local governments cannot solve all of these problems alone.
District 19 needs a representative who understands how to identify federal programs, work with congressional committees, coordinate with agencies and advocate for funding. Hawatmeh’s experience positions her to begin that work with an understanding of how the federal process operates. The argument for Hawatmeh is not simply that she knows Washington. It is that Southwest Florida has immediate needs requiring someone who may be prepared to make Washington work more effectively for District 19.
A Focus on Southwest Florida
Hawatmeh describes herself as a problem solver. “When there are issues, I find solutions,” she told East Lee County News. “As effective as I have been in Washington, D.C., I plan on being just as effective in Florida’s 19th.” Her stated priorities include pursuing a hurricane evacuation center, securing federal assistance for water infrastructure and continuing her community work through the Lee County chapter of Moms for America, which she founded.
The hurricane and water-infrastructure priorities are especially important to District 19. Eastern Lee County and other growing Southwest Florida communities face serious water, sewer, drainage and storm-resiliency challenges. Residents should not be forced to bear unaffordable local assessments without every reasonable federal funding opportunity being explored. A member of Congress cannot independently award grants or build local facilities, but the representative can identify federal programs, advocate for funding and help local governments navigate federal agencies. Hawatmeh’s Washington experience could provide a meaningful advantage as she begins that work.
Former Cape Coral Mayor Backs Hawatmeh
Hawatmeh has also received the endorsement of Joe Mazurkiewicz Jr., a former four-term Cape Coral mayor, a 58-year Southwest Florida resident and president of BJM Consulting, Inc. Mazurkiewicz served approximately 10 years as mayor, gaining firsthand experience with growth, infrastructure, public utilities, local budgeting and the relationship between local, state and federal government. Through BJM Consulting, Mazurkiewicz remains actively involved in governmental and community issues facing Southwest Florida.
I am familiar with Mazurkiewicz’s public record and his continued involvement in regional growth, infrastructure and government issues. I am encouraged that Mazurkiewicz is supporting Hawatmeh because his local knowledge and experience can help her deepen her understanding of Lee County and provide valuable guidance as she takes on the responsibilities of office. That relationship matters. Washington experience alone is not enough. A representative must also have trusted local connections capable of identifying problems, explaining community needs and helping turn federal opportunities into practical local results.
Mazurkiewicz’s support creates a valuable connection between Hawatmeh’s congressional experience and his decades of work involving Southwest Florida government, infrastructure and community development. In his endorsement letter, Mazurkiewicz said he met with several candidates before concluding that Hawatmeh’s Washington experience, determination and policy knowledge made her the strongest choice. He praised her ability to “hit the ground running” and advocate for federal resources involving roads, water infrastructure and public utilities.
“Ola is laser-focused on delivering federal dollars to clean our water, securing our borders, and protecting our way of life,” Mazurkiewicz wrote. He said his support was also based on spending time with Hawatmeh and observing her willingness to listen to Southwest Florida’s concerns. “That is why she has my complete and uncompromising endorsement,” he wrote. “She is the leader we need, focused solely on us, and she will not stop until we win.”
His endorsement carries weight not only because he is a former mayor, but also because he continues working on many of the same growth, utility and infrastructure challenges District 19 faces today.
Why I Am Endorsing Hawatmeh
I believe candidates should be measured against the actual duties of the office, not simply by slogans, endorsements or national political messaging. Hawatmeh has worked inside a congressional office and participated in policy, legislative and constituent matters. Her business, communications, advocacy and community-organizing experience further suggests that she can build relationships, communicate effectively and operate under pressure.
Questions remain about the specific legislation she worked on and the details of her plans for water, hurricane preparedness, agriculture and constituent services. Those questions should continue to be asked. An endorsement does not exempt any candidate from scrutiny. However, Hawatmeh possesses experience directly connected to the position she seeks. She also has the support of an experienced local leader who understands Lee County’s problems and can help connect her Washington knowledge to the immediate needs of District 19.
Southwest Florida is not waiting on abstract policy debates. Our communities are dealing now with water infrastructure, hurricane resiliency, road needs, rapid growth and rising costs for residents. I believe Hawatmeh’s congressional experience, stated priorities and growing local relationships make her the candidate best prepared to represent District 19 effectively from the beginning of her term. For those reasons, I endorse Ola Hawatmeh for the United States House of Representatives in Florida’s 19th Congressional District.
This endorsement represents the independent editorial opinion of Katrina Salokar, editor and publisher of East Lee County News, The ROAR. It was prepared and published independently of any advertising purchased by the candidate or her campaign.
