Are you looking for a candidate to have a beer with?

Democrat Ed Measom from Casselberry might be able to help you.

The new candidate to run in Seminole County’s new House District 38 is a retired brewery manager who taught beer appreciation and history for 14 years at the University of Central Florida. Rosen College of hotel management.

He also served as president of Central Florida home brewers Association for 19 years.

“I have a degree in chemical engineering, and making beer was the best use I’ve found so far,” Measom said.

In politics, Measom challenges the Republican Representative. David Smithas well as a few others, focusing on education, economic development and the environment.

But he could associate the right beer with any of them.

HD 38 covers south-central Seminole County, stretching from Altamonte Springs to Winter Springs, and encompassing Fern Park, Casselberry, and part of Longwood.

Based on votes in the last two general elections, the district appears to have a slight Democratic leaning.

Also filed to run there are Democrats Marc Caruso winter springs and republican Drake Wurtz from the springs of Altamonte.

Education was Measom’s first love as an advocate and as an issue. He has been a frequent speaker at the Seminole County School Board in recent years.

Among other issues, he raised concerns about the million dollars the county sent through the voucher program to for-profit, often religiously-oriented schools.

“To me, it violated the Constitution. And I’m not anti-religious. But I am in favor of the separation of church and state, which is how God intended it when she wrote the Constitution,” Measom said.

He is also concerned about efforts by the Legislative Assembly in recent years – supported by Smith – to pre-empt local government laws.

As a member of the hospitality industry, Measom said he had seen too many low-wage jobs. He is a proponent of pushing for “living wages”.

“One of the things he just voted for was a bill (HB 943) to prohibit cities and counties from requiring (certain) wages in their contracts,” Measom said. “This party proposes to be on freedom, but here they limit the freedom of cities and counties to spend their money as they see fit.

“And I think paying a living wage is extremely important,” he said. “I want to see better education so people can get better jobs. People with better jobs can pay their taxes. They have more disposable income. They contribute more to the economy.

Environmentally, Measom cares most about water availability and quality, as any good brewer might. From the siltation of the Little Wekiva River to lawn fertilizers to climate change that would affect Florida’s water supply, Measom said water needs to be protected.

The shutdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic hit Measom personally. He ran the production of Orange Blossom Pilsner at the Orange Blossom Brewing Co., an Orlando microbrewery that supplies restaurants and bars. The closures have hit this business hard. It also led to the end of his teaching job at UCF – it’s hard to teach beer appreciation online. He has decided to retire in 2021.

“I found myself unexpectedly retired and decided to help save democracy because I believe it is in peril,” Measom said.

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