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November's Hot Races Feature Amendments, Elections Supervisor

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 27, 2008

Here's a rundown of some of the hot races and issues facing voters in November:

Hillsborough County supervisor of elections: The race pits incumbent Buddy Johnson against Phyllis Busansky.

The contest promises to attract attention because Johnson has had a somewhat bruising experience as elections supervisor, making headlines with his performance as elections chief as well as his personal finances.

Johnson, 56, a former state legislator, was appointed to the elections job in 2003 when then-Supervisor Pam Iorio stepped down to run for mayor. He won election in 2004 and now seeks another four-year term.

Busansky, 71, is a former two-term county commissioner who helped create the county's indigent health care plan. She touts her management experience, having served as director of aging services and director of personnel for the county. She was executive director of the Welfare-to-Work program under Govs. Lawton Chiles and Jeb Bush.

Two years ago, Busansky lost a race for U.S. Congress to Gus Bilirakis.

U.S. House District 9: The outcome of the hard-fought 9th Congressional District Democratic primary means Carrollwood lawyer Bill Mitchell will try to conquer the seat held by a Republican since its creation in the early years of the Reagan administration.

Mitchell faces the added task of wrestling it away from freshman Congressman Gus Bilirakis, 45, elected after the retirement of his father, Tarpon Springs native Mike Bilirakis. The elder was elected in 1982 and re-elected 11 times, paving the way for what some see as a Bilirakis dynasty.

Mitchell's fundraising lagged behind that of former Plant City Mayor John Dicks, who collected more than $440,000 in his bid for the Democratic nomination, but Mitchell faces a stiffer financial challenge against the freshman congressman.

Preparing for his re-election bid in the Nov. 4 general election, Bilirakis already has amassed a war chest exceeding $1.1 million, $816,000 of it from individual contributions.

Hillsborough County Commission: Republican incumbent Brian Blair defends his commission seat against newcomer Kevin Beckner. The 37-year-old Democrat, a financial planner, vows to cross party lines to defeat Blair, 51, a controversial first-term commissioner and former pro wrestler.

Constitutional amendments: Voters will decide whether to adopt any or all of nine proposed amendments:

•Amendment One (Property Rights for Ineligible Aliens) would eliminate the state's authority to prohibit aliens ineligible for citizenship from owning property.

•Amendment Two (Marriage and Other Legal Unions) specifies that only legal unions between one man and one woman shall be valid and recognized in Florida.

•Amendment Three (Assessed Value of Residential Property) protects homeowners who harden their homes against wind damage or install renewable energy systems from increases in property tax assessments that could occur as a result.

•Amendment Four (Land Used for Conservation) requires lawmakers to create a tax exemption for property dedicated for conservation purposes, beginning in 2010.

•Amendment Five (Property Taxes for Schools and More) would, among other provisions, abolish the portion of property taxes that the state requires to help fund public K-12 education, and it would require lawmakers to replace the lost money for schools using other revenue for a period of one year.

•Amendment Six (Working Waterfront Property) requires property assessments on land used for commercial fishing and related purposes to be based on current use, rather than potential "highest and best" uses such as real estate development.

•Amendment Seven (Religious Organizations) removes a prohibition on religious organizations from contracting with the state or otherwise receiving state money for providing public services and programs.

•Amendment Eight (Community College Funding) allows counties to supplement community college funding with a local-option sales tax.

•Amendment Nine (Education) enshrines school choice vouchers in the Constitution by expanding the kinds of K-12 education that Florida may support with public dollars. It would also require that 65 percent of school funds be spent on in-class expenses and leaves the definition of "classroom" expenses up to lawmakers.

Reporters Ellen Gedalius, Catherine Dolinski, George Wilkens and Mike Salinero contributed to this report.

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