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A Financial Challenge For Local Candidates To Consider

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 27, 2008

With local interest already high in the presidential race and Tuesday's vote on constitutional Amendment 1, Pasco County residents also should begin paying special attention to how local races are shaping up.

Up for election in the fall are the offices of clerk of court, property appraiser, tax collector, supervisor of elections, sheriff, school superintendent, as well as three county commission and two school board seats.

Terms also are ending for the occupiers of seven seats that include parts of Pasco County in the state House of Representatives and one in the state Senate, among other races.

Already, the field is getting crowded. Three candidates are seeking to replace Clerk of Court Jed Pittman, who's retiring. Sheriff Bob White has two challengers to date. And battles are forming in all the races for county commission and school board.

State Sen. Mike Fasano, R-New Port Richey, also is facing competition from two Democrats, and, so far, three House races are being contested.

With the ballot a long way from being finalized, Pasco County voters have a chance to influence the campaigns and, ultimately, the elections.

It's about money, which makes campaigns go. Voters should issue a challenge to candidates, local and state: Don't accept money from anyone you'd either do public business with or regulate if elected.

Granted, under the state's campaign and ethics laws it's not illegal for candidates to accept money from individuals and businesses their governments either regulate or do business with. But in doing so, they risk the chance of their impartiality being questioned.

This raises a good question: Should a candidate, if elected, be allowed to vote on a project, contract or other proposal by someone who gave money to his or her campaign?

Again, it's neither illegal nor considered unethical, but it raises the public's eyebrows and rightfully so. Impartiality is extremely important in government service and helps maintain the public's confidence in their elected officials.

A good example is a developer giving a county commission candidate a contribution, and the candidate, after winning for the first time or being re-elected, votes to approve the developer's project. Or a school board member getting contributions from a builder who later wins a bid to build a school or from a consulting firm that ends up landing a big district contract.

It's not too much to ask candidates to refuse to accept campaign money in these circumstances. Wise candidates know who the major contributors and players are.

In fact, saying no thanks would be smart and probably earn new candidates and incumbents additional support. There are plenty of people without special interests willing to donate to a candidate's cause in Pasco County - they do it all the time.

Here's another unsettling area that voters should watch: the number of contributions from someone either as an individual or who has a major stake in a company, business or corporation.

Florida law, for the most part, limits contributions per election to $500 per "person." But there's a catch: That "person" could be the major officer in 10 different companies, and each company could give $500 to the same candidate.

Doing so skirts the spirit of the law a bit, but it's legal. It'd be refreshing for a candidate to say once is enough in this regard.

The early start to the presidential campaign seems to have prompted many local candidates to get a head start, too. But this benefits voters, who have plenty of time to start tracking money.

Just go to the supervisor of elections' Web site, pascovotes.com. Click "Candidates" on the left side of the page and then "2008 Local Candidates" to get started. For an individual candidate's contribution, just click the name.

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