Mike Prendergast For U.S. Congress
 
Last week, Cigar Rights of America announced Smoke the Vote 2010 . Through this national grassroots movement, it’s time for the cigar enthusiasts of America to let their voices be heard, and engage in the political process as never before. We need for both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC and for 37 state capitols through critical races for Governor, to hear from those of us who simply want to enjoy a cigar without burdensome regulation and taxation. You would think that would be a simple message. Obviously not.With the looming threat of new federal regulation of cigars by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the ever present notion of federal taxation, control of Congress is a serious matter in 2010. In our first Smoke the Vote message of 2010, we go to the heart of Cigar Country – Tampa, Florida.With a rich history for cigar makers and enthusiasts alike, Tampa, Florida is a national treasure for the cigar industry. This is why there needs to be a strong voice in Congress for our interests from Tampa. That voice is Colonel Mike Prendergast.Colonel Prendergast first came to our attention at the Florida Cigar Summit, held earlier this year at the historic J.C. Newman Cigar factory in Tampa. He came, he listened. He got it. He saw hundreds of jobs associated with the Tampa cigar industry, and he heard of the adverse impact government taxation and regulation can have for this staple of the community.In a recent note, Colonel Prendergast stated, “As a Cigar Rights supporter, a native of Cigar City, and the grandson of a cigar tobacco grower, I would appreciate support for my race as the next Congressman for Florida’s 11th Congressional District.”

Spotlight
 
He is running against Congresswoman Kathy Castor. Congresswoman Castor voted for the new SCHIP cigar taxes, and she voted for FDA regulation of tobacco, which is now aiming for cigars.Bobby Newman, Executive Vice President of the J.C. Newman Cigar Company stated, “Mike Prendergast is the type of leader Tampa, and frankly America, needs in the United States Congress. He understands this district, he connects with the people, he listens, and he knows the proper role of government. Further, he realizes that hundreds of jobs in Tampa rely upon many issues confronting the next Congress. His service to our nation is unquestioned, and that same leadership ability will serve him, and this community, well as a member of Congress.”More about the campaign of Colonel Mike Prendergast can be found at http://www.pickprendergast.com.Here is a bit about Mike, personally:Colonel Prendergast is a native of Tampa and a graduate of Clearwater Central Catholic High School. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1978 and earned a commission through Officer Candidate School. With more than 31 years of service, he retired in 2009 as U.S. Central Command’s Provost Marshal, a military position similar to a civilian Commissioner of Public Safety and International Chief of Police. Colonel Prendergast served with distinction in various important command and staff assignments throughout the United States and abroad, to include combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and humanitarian missions in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Cameroon, and Zaire. Colonel Prendergast also served as a Senior Policy Advisor for Defense, Intelligence, and Foreign Affairs as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of U.S. Senator Bob Graham.

Mike Prendergast has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with Special Honors and a dual major in Political Science and Sociology from Jacksonville State University; a Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in Psychology from the University of New York; a Bachelor of Social Science degree from Campbell University; a Master of Arts degree with a major in International Relations and a Certificate in African Studies from the University of Florida; a Master of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Public Management from Troy State University; and a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the U.S. Army War College with a major in Public Diplomacy and a concentration in Campaign and Strategic Crisis Planning.

Colonel Prendergast and his wife Naomi returned to Florida in 2008 in preparation for his transition from active duty and in anticipation of him serving the Tampa Bay area where his leadership skills can do the most good for his hometown. The Prendergasts have two children and three grandchildren. Their daughter, Melissa Ann, lives in Savannah with her husband Caleb (a “Nightstalker” with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment presently deployed to Afghanistan) and son Dylan. Their son, Robert Anthony (a Fort Stewart Military Police Soldier presently deployed to Afghanistan), lives in Hinesville with his wife Elisabeth, son Robert Jr. and daughter Charlee Sue.

It’s obvious, Cigar Nation can benefit from Mike Prendergast as a member of the United States Congress.
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