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© St. Petersburg Times, published September 14, 2002
When Mary Brown and Tiffany Todd face off in November for the final spot open on the Pinellas School Board, voters will choose between two candidates who are nothing alike.
They have only three things in common: They both describe themselves as problem-solvers, they are both mothers, and each wants to run a clean campaign.
The similarities end there.
Brown, 67, is a Democrat and a quality improvement specialist for coordinated Child Care of Pinellas County.
Todd, 24, is a Republican and a registered nurse.
And they have very different explanations about why they surfaced as the top two vote-getters in this nonpartisan race.
"I think people know it's time to have an African-American on the board," Brown said.
Todd said she thinks voters were "encouraged to see young people that had families that were actually in the school district right now, actually taking an interest in a leadership role."
They differ on the issues as well.
Brown supports electing the School Board through single-member districts and smaller classrooms.
Single-member districts -- the subject of a referendum on Nov. 5 -- would allow everyone to be represented on the board, Brown said. They would ensure that board members take an interest in their districts as well as the entire county, she said. They also may help board members spot trends in their districts and then address them countywide.
As for smaller classrooms, Brown said it's going to take some money, but if legislators care about education, they will find it. She has two suggestions: revisit lottery appropriations and eliminate wasteful spending. At the same time, she said smaller classrooms could be phased in, giving priority to K-5 classrooms.
Todd, however, opposes single-member districts. She said that if members from other districts weren't performing in the best interest of her children, she wouldn't be able to vote them out of office.
When it comes to smaller classrooms, the money simply isn't there, she said.
"If there was a way to fund it, I would lead the charge," Todd said. "But without obvious funding sources, it worries me."
Even before Brown and Todd square off at the polls, party politics have taken front and center -- in what is supposed to be a nonpartisan race.
In July, Gov. Jeb Bush appointed fellow Republican Janice Starling to complete the late Tom Todd's term. He had considered others, including Brown. This week, Pinellas Republican Party Chairman Paul Bedinghaus said Brown had told him she would not run if Bush appointed an African-American. Starling is black.
"She got what she said she wanted, and it still wasn't enough," Bedinghaus said. "She, in my book, is not an honest person." As for her supporters, he said, "That just proves to me it's not that they want a minority on the School Board. It's about selfishness and power."
But Brown said Bedinghaus mischaracterized her statement. She said she told him she wouldn't run only if a more qualified African-American was appointed.
"I'm going to let him say that because he will do himself more harm than me," she said. "I know what I said."
She said she told Bedinghaus that she felt she was the most qualified African-American to fill the position. Friday, she wondered aloud whether the black community should just accept who Bedinghaus felt was qualified and whether African-Americans should have some choice at the polls.
"I'm not going to do battle because my issue is education for children," she said.
But money may also be an issue.
As of Thursday, Todd had raised $34,687 and has a goal of raising that much for the general election. Her family ties might help; she has received a number of contributions from people and businesses who also contributed to the campaigns of her father, the late Tom Todd, and her mother, County Commissioner Barbara Sheen Todd. She had $4,300 on hand after the primary.
Brown, meanwhile, had raised $13,305 and had $3,400 left. She is raising more.
Todd said there is no reason School Board candidates should be criticized for raising as much money as county commissioners, some of whom also run countywide. Brown says she isn't focused on fundraising, but on the impact she can have on the board.
"I may not raise as much money, but my whole objective is to change the education system, and I feel I have the qualities, the leadership, experience and the capability to do it."
-- Times staff writer Curtis Krueger contributed to this report.