He has led a local crusade against the state Department of Agriculture’s citrus-canker tree-cutting program, and he has fought in the courts to eliminate the “Choose Life” license plates. 
But Barry Silver’s next battle will be against State Rep. Anne Gannon in the September Democratic primary. 
Silver – a Boca Raton attorney and former state representative – filed Tuesday for the District 86 State House Seat, which includes large portions of Delray Beach and Boca Raton. Silver is so far the sole challenger facing Gannon. 
He was also among four candidates Gannon defeated in the 2000 Democratic primary before winning her first term in the District 88 seat. 
The eccentric Silver said he jumped into race – just days before Friday’s noon qualifying deadline – following pleas from several diverse groups of people. 
“I was actually pretty happy in my law practice,” said Silver, who held the District 89 state seat from 1996-98 before being ousted by Curt Levine. “A fair amount of people urged me to run.” 
Silver, who already paid the $1,700 qualifying fee, said among those who asked him to run were members of the South County Haitian community, environmentalists, feminists and the contingency that opposes the Atlantic High School relocation, among others. 
“We want to give control of the district back to the people,” said Silver, who is on the board of the Haitian-American Council in Delray Beach. “A lot of groups in the community feel they need a voice. We want to take the control out of the hands of the special interests and lobbyists.” 
Before being elected to the two-year term in office, Gannon, a Delray Beach resident, was a Tallahassee lobbyist. 
Gannon said she was not surprised by Silver’s entry into the race. 
“We’ve been expecting this for a month,” she said. “We’re already working hard, and I intend to run on the issues that affect the people in the district. I’m looking forward to it.”