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Naming successor to Busansky an opportunity, risk for Crist

AP Photo/Alan Diaz

The governor's decision on the appointment could alienate supporters in his Senate bid.

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By CATHERINE DOLINSKI | The Tampa Tribune
and MIKE SALINERO | The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 24, 2009

Since the age of President Andrew Jackson, patronage has been a prized privilege that executives have used to maintain and reward the support of their most fervent followers.

And now many are watching to see whether Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running for the U.S. Senate next year, will follow or buck tradition when he chooses an interim supervisor of elections for Hillsborough County.

Either way, he risks alienating voters he will need in his Senate bid.

The supervisor's job came open Tuesday when Phyllis Busansky, a Democrat, was found dead of natural causes in a St. Augustine hotel room. Busansky was a popular and charismatic politician who had been in office just five months.

Political tradition says Crist, a Republican, will choose Busanky's successor from the ranks of the GOP. The governor has drawn a challenge from conservative Republican Marco Rubio, a former speaker of the state House, in the race for the U.S. Senate seat.

"The Republicans are going to look at this as a test of loyalty to the party," said Darryl Paulson, a former political science professor at the University of South Florida-St. Petersburg. "Are you going to appoint one of your own? Certainly there's going to be some pressure on him to do what I think is the traditional thing."

But Crist often flouts tradition. He is considered a moderate who has championed a pragmatic, bipartisan approach to public policy questions. He seemed unbothered when he drew the ire of conservatives by standing on stage with Democratic President Barack Obama and cheerfully accepting federal stimulus money.

"I think he generally tries to do the right thing," said Lance deHaven-Smith, a political science professor at Florida State University. "It could be political, but particularly in a high-visibility situation, I think he shows a lot of fairness and balance."

DeHaven-Smith cited Crist's efforts to end felon voter disenfranchisement early in his term as governor – bucking the policies of his Republican predecessor, Jeb Bush.

Crist "took a lot of heat for it from the Republican Party, but he did it anyway," deHaven-Smith said. "He had nothing, really, to gain from doing that."

If Crist picks a Democrat to fill Busansky's post, it won't be the first time he has appointed someone from the opposing party.

Crist chose former Attorney General Bob Butterworth, a Democrat, as his secretary of the Department of Children and Families. When Butterworth stepped down, Crist picked a Butterworth lieutenant, George Sheldon, to take his place. Not only is Sheldon a Democrat, he also ran against Crist in 2000 for education commissioner.

Other bipartisan appointments by Crist include Frank Peterman Jr., a former Democratic state representative from St. Petersburg, whom Crist made secretary of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

On the other hand, Crist picked Republicans for three county elections supervisor openings, one of which was vacated by the death of a Democrat.

Crist spokesman Sterling Ivey said the governor would seriously consider Democrats as well as Republicans.

"He's more interested in appointing the best person to lead the supervisor's office," Ivey said.

As of Wednesday, Ivey said, the governor's office had not received any formal applications for the elections job, which will be up for election again in November 2010. However, five people have publicly expressed interest:

Janet Dougherty, a Republican, former board member of the Southwest Florida Water Management District and environmental consultant.

Rosemary Goudreau, an independent and former editorial page editor of The Tampa Tribune.

Craig Latimer, Democrat, Busanky's chief of staff and a former major in the Hillsborough sheriff's office.

Mark Proctor, a Republican business and political consultant and real estate agent.

Mark Cox, Republican, chief of investigations for the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office.

Proctor, Cox and Dougherty applied for the post when former Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Buddy Johnson supervisor in 2003.

Latimer is picking up some early support because of his administrative experience in the elections and sheriff's offices. Colleagues say he was deeply involved in resolving technical problems with voting machines that were blamed, along with Johnson's mismanagement, for foul-ups during the November election.

"He was closest to understanding Phyllis' vision for that office," said Denise Layne, an environmental activist and Democrat who sought the 2003 appointment. "Who better to carry out something that was working?"

As Crist faces the dilemma of alienating either his party's base or independent and Democratic voters in next year's election, the safe pick might be an apolitical technocrat. Latimer could fill the bill.

"It's an interim appointment, and he might say the focus needs to be on keeping things going in the office, that it shouldn't be politicized in advanced of the election," said University of South Florida political scientist Susan MacManus.

Republican Joe Chillura, a former county commissioner who also sought the 2003 appointment to the supervisor's job, said Crist would be wise to pick someone with experience in the office who is not a partisan politician.

"I don't think he's hell-bound to pick a Republican," Chillura said. "I do think he is duty bound to pick the most qualified person."

Reporter William March contributed to this report. Mike Salinero can be reached at (813) 259-8303 or msalinero@tampatrib.com.

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