Terry Fields (American politician)
| Terry Fields | |
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| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 14th district |
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In office November 21, 2000 – November 18, 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Tony Hill |
| Succeeded by | Mia L. Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
April 18, 1959 Jacksonville, Florida |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Alma mater |
Florida A&M University (B.S.) Florida State University |
| Profession | Longshoreman, consultant |
Terry L. Fields (born April 18, 1959) is a Democratic politician who served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008, representing the 14th District, which included parts of downtown Jacksonville in western Duval County. He is currently a candidate for the Florida House in 2016.
Fields was born in Jacksonville, Florida, and attended Florida A&M University, graduating with his bachelor's degree in education in 1981, and later completing graduate work at Florida State University. While working as an executive assistant for the International Longshoreman's Association Local 1408, he was elected to the Jacksonville Civil Service Board in 1983, and served until 1991. In 1991, Fields ran for the Jacksonville City Council in the 7th District, joining pharmacist Phillip Brown in challenging incumbent City Councilwoman Sandra Darling in the Democratic primary. Fields defeated Darling in the first primary election, winning 54% of the vote to her 42% and Brown's 4%, and he was elected unopposed in the general election. He ran for re-election in 1995, facing Republican candidate Carl Youmans with 81% of the vote.
In 2000, incumbent State Representative Tony Hill was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. Fields ran to succeed him in the 14th District, and faced attorney Al Barlow in the Democratic primary. He campaigned on his political experience, noting that, due to term limits, the Jacksonville area would no longer have experienced legislators in Tallahassee. During the campaign, Fields and Barlow agreed on the necessity to improve public education and to make prescription drugs affordable. Fields ended up defeating Barlow by a wide margin, receiving 56% of the vote to Barlow's 44%. He was re-elected without opposition in 2002 and 2004.
Fields was challenged in the Democratic primary in 2006 by Reginald Brown, the Director of Project Reach, a local community group that provided parenting and tutoring workshops. Brown campaigned on improving living conditions within the district, and argued that Fields might not be "the people's choice" because he was unopposed for the preceding two elections. Fields, meanwhile, campaigned on his legislative record of fighting for workers rights, expanding health insurance, and improving economic development. Fields defeated Brown in a landslide, winning 66% of the vote to Brown's 34%, and advanced to the general election, where he faced Republican nominee Donald Foy, an anti-crime activist. Foy attacked Fields for not spending enough time in the district, though Fields noted that spending time in the legislature benefited the district by forcing the legislature to keep their interests in mind. Owing to the liberal nature of the district, Fields overwhelmingly defeated Foy, receiving 67% of the vote to Foy's 33%.
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