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Union claims 4 on elections panel biased
By ADAM C. SMITH, Times Political Editor At least four members of the Florida Elections Commission investigating television ads instrumental in securing Bill McBride's Democratic nomination for governor should get off the case because of their close ties to the state Republican Party, the state teachers union says. The Florida Education Association, which created a special corporation to fund the TV ads, has filed documents with the commission suggesting that the four are biased against McBride. Meanwhile, the McBride campaign has filed court papers trying to quash a commission subpoena for campaign records potentially related to the ads. Towson Fraser, spokesman for the state GOP, said the teachers union and McBride campaign are trying to delay the investigation the nine-member commission sought in August. The state GOP had filed a complaint calling the independent ads illegal because they came close to directly calling for McBride's election and were coordinated with the campaign. Though the commission's legal staff found no grounds for an investigation, commissioners voted 6-2 to investigate anyway. "The Florida Elections Commission is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican Party of Florida and the Jeb Bush campaign," said McBride campaign spokesman Alan Stonecipher. The teachers union cited political and business connections between lobbyist commissioners and the state GOP as evidence of "bias and prejudice in favor of the Republican Party of Florida." The commissioners singled out are: Richard Heffley, union lawyer Ron Meyer noted in the filing, who rents space from the party and was paid more than $20,000 from the party for consulting work in the past 15 months. David Rancourt, Bush's former deputy chief of staff, who gave $25,000 to the party this election cycle and shares lobbying clients with the GOP's lawyer arguing for the investigation. J. Courtley Cunningham, whose lobbying firm gave more than $3,700 to the party and was the party's general counsel. Michelle Springer, a former political director for the party, gave $4,500 to the GOP, and her husband is a consultant who works for the party. The same date commissioners voted to pursue an investigation, the party paid her husband $6,600. The commission is not expected to take up the matter before the Nov. 5 election.
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From the Times state desk
From the state wire
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