State: Gloves come off, fur flies in Easterling, Norman race

The much anticipated street fight between two sitting commissioners began in earnest Thursday with Stacey Easterling's first full-scale attack mailer. Fellow Republican Jim Norman, competing with Easterling for the at-large seat, responds in kind with a piece expected to hit mailboxes today.

In an almost exact replica from her campaign against Democrat Ben Wacksman two years ago, the Easterling flier makes note of Norman's many contributions from special interests, most of them developers. It includes a photo of a stagecoach and asks the question "Who's Riding the Gravy Train." Inside it says, "Let's Saddle Up & Rope 'Em In."

It's a theme she has adopted throughout the campaign in mailers and in her few public speaking engagements.

The flier even uses the same cowboy, hat and boots employed in her 1990 mailing. Like that one, it includes a partial list of her opponent's contributors, with a description alongside: "Stella Thayer-$500.00-Development/Attorney, Sunrise Landscape-$500-Development/Supplier," and then, just for fun, "Hooters-$200.00-Self Explanatory."

"Jim Norman's use of and courting by special interest groups is as brazen as his disregard of our trust and expectations," the flier reads, citing his actions on growth and taxes.

* * *

What may be even more brazen is Easterling's use of a multitude of partial quotes from area newspapers, several of which would have an entirely different meaning if placed in their original context.

Let's put it this way, there are 29 quotes and 54 ellipses. And the ellipses often take the place of several paragraphs of text.

One quote excerpted from the Times says, "Easterling recently mailed out a ... flier ... touting her record as commissioner ... she paid for it herself." The original quote: "Easterling recently mailed out a slick, four-page, color flier to homes across Hillsborough County touting her record as a commissioner. The thing is, she currently represents South and West Tampa only."

It appeared in a story about how she was sending out what appeared to be campaign literature to homes outside her district before she filed to run for the at-large seat. And it followed stories about how she has sent out other fliers to homes outside her current district paid for by the county.

Also notable are three quotes pulled from La Gaceta under the heading, "Values You Can Trust." Easterling quotes from a letter she wrote -- again to people outside her district -- which was reprinted by the paper. The letter is noted in the paper under a passage that begins "County Commissioner Stacey Easterling is at it again. She's campaigning using county stationery and postage."

"She had to be extremely creative to pull something decent out of that article," said Patrick Manteiga, the editor and publisher of La Gaceta.

* * *

The people who prepared Norman's mailer were aiming for memorable. It's certainly different from the rest of the campaign brochures floating around.

The mailing is shaped like a manila folder that a lawyer might carry. A photograph of Easterling, sporting shades, is mock paper-clipped to the front.

It reads, "Facing disbarment or other disciplinary action she must also face the voters September 10th." It has two phony sticker notes, one of which reads "The most notable charge, "making a false statement of material fact or law to a tribunal.' "

The inside includes copies of paperwork from a Florida Bar complaint pending before the Florida Supreme Court concerning Easterling's handling of a 1999 case. She is accused of improperly vouching for an officer's credibility, making derogatory remarks about witnesses and arguing facts not in evidence during a closing argument.

Norman's mailer includes a copy of a news story noting that the defendant, who had his case overturned because of the remarks, subsequently was arrested for driving with a suspended license and resisting officers with violence.

Norman consultant John Coley acknowledges the risk of going negative. Often, it's an acknowledgement that a candidate is concerned about his opponent's chances of winning.

So why did they decide to go so strong?

"I think it's because he's tired of getting beat up," Coley said. Plus, "She's got so many flaws in her record, it's hard not to" (go negative).

Easterling obviously anticipated the blast. She recently has distributed fliers to law enforcement officers in which she defends herself. It includes a quote she gave in April to the Times: "If it comes down to defending police officers or political correctness, the police officers will win every time."

* * *

Coley and company have another zinger coming in the mail, this one on behalf of Denise Lasher, a candidate for Norman's current seat representing District 2 in northern Hillsborough County.

On the front of the tri-fold brochure is a vintage-looking picture of a man leading two bloodhounds near a swamp.

"Where in the Heck is Ken Hagan?" it reads.

Hagan is one of Lasher's three Republican opponents. He has missed at least eight forums during the campaign, a fact repeatedly documented in this newspaper.

Inside, the brochure reads "The Experts Are Stumped." It then includes pictures and quotes from famous sleuths, including Barney Fife, Columbo and Sherlock Holmes, not to mention another bloodhound identified as Big Red.

"I never thought this would be so bloody difficult, or I wouldn't have come out of retirement," Holmes says. "Who would have believed it would be hard to find a political candidate -- usually you can't get away from them."

It then lists Hagan's stances on the issues, ranging from taxes to public safety, as "NONE." And it includes a map of the missed forum sites.

"Vote NO for the NO SHOW candidate," it concludes.

-- Political junkies can reach David Karp at 226-3376 or karp@sptimes.com, and Bill Varian can be reached at 226-3387 or varian@sptimes.com.

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Lucy Morgan

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