Politics 101: Seize every opportunity for good press

In politics, no good deed goes unpromoted.

Just ask Kevin White, who is running for City Council. White was at Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church one Sunday making a stop at one of several churches that day.

One of the church's deacons, Rufus Hardwick, collapsed, and White, a former police officer, said he performed CPR.

Political consultant Victor DiMaio, who works for White, immediately saw an opportunity to get good press. White said he thought it would be tacky, and he resisted the idea -- at least for a while.

But then the Florida Sentinel Bulletin called White and ran a short story on the incident. At that point, all bets were off.

"I just felt it was fair game at that point in time," White said.

Hardwick, unfortunately, died. He was 87.

Vice President Dick Cheney swung through Tampa Thursday to praise Gov. Jeb Bush and Republican congressional candidate Ginny Brown-Waite. Of course, he included a stop at the Port of Tampa for "official business."

The vice president, who is overseeing antiterrorism efforts around the globe, got a quick look at the port and heard a briefing on Florida's antiterrorism plans.

Because of that "official business," taxpayers will pick up part of the tab for Cheney's trip. A spokeswoman for Cheney said both Democrat and Republican vice presidents have made these kinds of trips, which combine politics and official business. A formula set up by law determines how much the party pays and how much taxpayers pay.

Campaigns for City Council are supposed to be nonpartisan, but everyone knows that they really aren't.

Curtis Stokes, a banker, is getting support from many of Tampa's best-known Republicans. His host committee at a fundraiser last week at the Tampa Yacht & Country Club included developer Dick Beard, lawyer Steve Burton, Tampa Port Authority member Gladstone Cooper, convenience store owner John Jaeb, Hillsborough Republican Party chairwoman Margie Kincaid and Sun City Center Republican leaders John and Dee Williams.

Stokes is running against City Council member Gwen Miller, whose husband, Tampa Democrat Les Miller, is the Democratic whip in the Florida Senate. Expect most Democrats to line up behind Miller.

Chris Hart's campaign for District 1 County Commission is $7,500 richer thanks to the Republican Party of Florida.

A party spokesman in Tallahassee couldn't say for sure how Hart's check came about. Sometimes the candidate asks for the donation. Other times a private donor or local party official requests it on the candidate's behalf.

In any event, it looks like Hart could use the money. Hart, who has served on the County Commission since 1994, has raised $65,856 toward his campaign. His challenger, political newcomer Kathy Castor, has amassed $130,850.

With much of his prospective district surrounded by water, Democratic candidate for state House District 57 Scott Farrell has decided to use it as part of his campaign.

Farrell, seeking the seat that includes much of South Tampa and Westchase, on Friday launched a large boat carrying a sign for his campaign. The boat toted a 20-foot sign in the waters along Bayshore Boulevard.

Farrell is facing Republican Faye Culp.

Republicans Jim Norman and Brian Blair and Democrat Tom Scott took their campaigns for the Hillsborough Commission to the airwaves this week with soft TV ads highlighting their nicer sides.

Norman's shows him on one of his trademark walks through county neighborhoods, knocking on doors and fielding questions. Blair's highlights his volunteering as a Little League coach and features an introduction from baseball great Wade Boggs, a friend.

With the election a little more than a week away, Hillsborough commissioners bent over backward this week to show their support for the county's health plan for the poor.

The program, a target of conservative commissioners in the past, had been bleeding money recently but appears to be righting itself. Norman has at times been blamed for supporting a cutback in funding for the program, though the cutback was as much forced upon the commissioners by legislators.

This week, Norman was encouraging commissioners to approve a long-term strategy to keep the program afloat. He was also pushing them unsuccessfully to work with legislators now to get rid of a sunset provision in sales tax funding that forces the county to seek approval of the program from the state every seven years. The next sunset is in 2005.

Both of Norman's opponents, Democrat Susan Valdes and independent Robert "Bob" Wirengard, were in the audience to show their support for the program.

EVENTS: John Edwards, the Democratic senator from North Carolina who may be a presidential contender, will be in Tampa on Tuesday to help U.S. Rep. Karen Thurman. He will speak at the Tampa Club during lunch. Tickets are $250 or $1,000 for a private reception. Lawyers Steve Yerrid, Jim Wilkes and John Morgan are hosting the event. Call 354-1400 to RSVP ... The League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County FYI Community Luncheon will be held Oct. 30 at the Don Vicente De Ybor, 1915 Republica de Cuba in Ybor City (changed from Sam Seltzer's). Cost of the meal is $15, and the program will feature Jan Smith, chair of the Charter Review Board. She will speak on the Independent Auditor amendment that will appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. Reservations must be placed by noon Tuesday by calling 744-5519, extension 128.

-- Political Junkie is an occasional column on this year's election season. Got a tip? Bill Varian can be reached at 226-3387 or varian@sptimes.com and David Karp can be reached at 226-3376 or karp@sptimes.com. Staff writer Susan Thurston contributed to this report.

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