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Auditing Audacity In Elections Office

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 20, 2008

Hillsborough County commissioners are right to call in auditors to find out why the Supervisor of Elections Office needs a $2.3 million emergency bailout a few weeks before Buddy Johnson turns over the keys to Phyllis Busansky, who beat him in the November election.

Johnson, who didn't show up for a county commission meeting Wednesday to explain his request in person, on Friday withdrew it.

He now says Busansky can figure it out, and in any case, county budget officials shouldn't be surprised.

The audit should proceed before she takes office to make clear how much of a shortfall really exists. A close look at the books might justify the need to increase by a third his budget that was approved just a few months ago. Until the audit results come in, we're free to fantasize about possible causes of such huge overruns. Here is our list of the top 10 possibilities.

10. It cost more than expected to rent bloodhounds to track down missing boxes of ballots.

9. The bloodhound contract had to be expanded to include searching for the missing supervisor.

8. A big majority of those pesky voters actually showed up at the polls this year.

7. The revenue from recycling a room full of "Buddy Johnson" stationery was surprisingly small.

6. The nation experienced an unexpected meltdown in the resale value of "Buddy Johnson" souvenir pens.

5. Instead of "I voted" stickers, some precincts handed out lapel pins made of gold.

4. Instead of ordering simple privacy booths for voters, Johnson mistakenly ordered electronic cones of silence.

3. Inept leadership required workers to operate late into the night, and there was an unexpected increase in the cost of midnight oil.

2. Johnson was leading a double life and running a second elections office in another county.

1. It was surprisingly expensive to remove Johnson's name and picture from everything in the elections office.

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