TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Johnson Drops $2.3 Million Request

ADVERTISEMENT

By MIKE SALINERO

msalinero@tampatrib.com

Published: December 20, 2008

TAMPA - In what might be a moot point, Elections Supervisor Buddy Johnson has withdrawn his request for $2.3 million to cover cost overruns in his office.

Johnson, in an e-mail to Hillsborough County commissioners Friday afternoon, said he would let incoming supervisor Phyllis Busansky decide how to handle the deficit. Busansky defeated Johnson in the Nov. 4 election.

"Our goal in submitting the budget request was to finalize the election cycle before leaving office so the incoming supervisor could focus on the future," Johnson wrote. "I feel it is best to withdraw the request so Mrs. Busansky can review the budget and make her own decision about the budget amendment."

That probably would have happened anyway. On Wednesday, commissioners turned down Johnson's request for the money, instead ordering an audit of his office.

Johnson could not be reached for comment Friday.

In his letter, the embattled elections supervisor also accused Busansky and the county attorney of launching a "surreptitious" investigation of Premier Election Solutions, the company that sold the county optical scan voting machines. The machines were blamed, in part, for late election returns last month.

Busansky denied the charge, saying she had only asked County Attorney Renee Lee to review the Premier contract.

"It's called good management," Busansky said. "It's called getting the facts and understanding the contract."

Johnson angered commissioners Wednesday when he failed to make his budget amendment request in person. He sent his chief deputy, Kathy Harris, who endured withering questioning about the last-minute appeal. Johnson leaves office Jan. 4.

Harris said election officials did not foresee the record voter turnout. She cited unexpected costs for labor, overtime, ballot boxes and privacy booths.

In his e-mail, Johnson also said he could not have known the full cost of moving from touch-screen voting to optical scan machines. He said his office had been "extremely transparent" in its dealings with the county budget office.

County Administrator Pat Bean disagreed. Bean said that when her budget director asked election officials for detailed financial data, Harris replied that they would get the minimum information required by law. "They were definitely not transparent because all we got were three numbers," Bean said.

Commissioner Rose Ferlita said Johnson's e-mail will not stop the audit of his office ordered by commissioners. Circuit Court Clerk Pat Frank's office will conduct the audit.

Reporter Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT