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Democrat again feels snubbed by his party
By DAN DeWITT State Rep. David Russell, a Republican, received an invitation to the local Democratic Party's biggest annual event -- tonight's Jefferson/Jackson Dinner -- and he plans to attend. One of his opponents, Bruce Donovan, who registered as a Democrat six months ago, was also invited and intends to go. But the third candidate in the race, Greg Williams -- who as the Democratic challenger in 2000 won a surprising 45 percent of the vote from the incumbent, Russell -- did not receive an invitation. He will attend, he said Friday, after scrounging a ticket from a member of the Democratic Executive Committee who will be out of town for the event. But he feels the sting of not receiving an invitation and not being offered the chance to advertise in the event's program. "This is just a snub," he said. "It hurts that people are willing to treat somebody so bad." The action shows a continued lack of support from the state and local party, he said, part of a pattern that was first apparent in 2000. The event is a great chance for a politician to mingle with the most influential members of the party, not only locally but also from around the state, Williams said. For example, three of the four Democratic candidates for governor, Janet Reno, Bill McBride and Daryl Jones, are scheduled to speak at the event at Silverthorn Country Club. "Of course, it is" advantageous for a candidate to attend, Williams said. "It's the DEC's biggest function." Dom Cabriele, the chairman of the DEC, said there was no effort to snub Williams. "What a bunch of bulls---," Cabriele said. Th DEC sent invitations to Russell and at least one other Republican officeholder, Sheriff Richard Nugent, because they attended the dinner last year. Donovan received an invitation because he is a member of the DEC. Other Democratic candidates, including Commissioners Chris Kingsley and Nancy Robinson, were invited because they currently hold office. Nearly 250 people will attend the dinner, a $40-per-plate party fundraiser. Cabriele also pointed out that Williams has several friends who are DEC members and who served on the committee responsible for sending out the invitations. The event was advertised in the newspaper, so any interested member of the public had plenty of opportunities to attend. "If Greg Williams wants to come, he can come," Cabriele said. In 2000, Williams said, members of the local and state party worked together to find another candidate to run against him and the state party contributed little money to his campaign compared to previous challengers for the District 44 seat. Williams said Cabriele has since worked to keep him from becoming a member of the local party: an interview for the executive committee last month ended when Cabriele's wife called him a liar, Williams said. Cabriele said he made no effort to exclude Williams and that the party is not favoring Donovan in the primary; such a position would violate the state and local rules of the Democratic Party, he said. Williams said he would meet with Reno on Sunday, when she plans to make several campaign stops in Hernando County. She is scheduled to attend a service at First United Methodist Church in Spring Hill at 8 a.m., another one at Bethlehem Progressive Baptist Church in Brooksville at 11 a.m. and to have lunch at the Golden Corral Restaurant in Brooksville at 1 p.m. "I'm not going to lose my mission because of little events like this," Williams said. "I'm going to focus my attention on the big picture, and trying to run my campaign as professionally and effectively as I can."
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From today's Hernando Times |
