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'Poll' presents 2 candidates for mayor in negative light
By DAVID KARP, Times Staff Writer
TAMPA -- In the race for Tampa mayor, the knives are finally out. A telephone poll conducted this week presented potential voters with negative statements about two of the candidates: Frank Sanchez, a former Clinton White House aide, and former Hillsborough Elections Supervisor Pam Iorio. The poll ends by asking voters to rate statements that appear to help City Council member Bob Buckhorn. They include: -- What do you think of a candidate who led the city effort to keep MacDill Air Force Base? -- What do you think of a candidate who is the only one endorsed by police? -- What do you think of a candidate who led the fight to spend money on neighborhoods rather than a trolley? None of the questions mentioned Buckhorn by name, but the issues are all central planks of his campaign. Voters also were asked if the following statements were negative or positive: -- Iorio, as supervisor of elections, was sued by the NAACP for restricting access to black voters. -- Iorio is the only supervisor who refused to count the military vote. -- Iorio has no plan for Tampa. "Of course, that is not true," said Iorio campaign manager Fran Davin. She described the surveys as a push poll, designed to leave negative impressions about candidates by asking misleading questions. "Pam won't be using any push polls," Davin said. The survey also asked potential voters to rate statements about Sanchez, such as: -- Sanchez is bankrolled by the same people who diverted money from neighborhood projects to the trolley and other downtown projects. -- Sanchez is an inexperienced politician and has been inconsistent or fuzzy on issues. The statements "are not true," said Sanchez campaign manager Maryann Blitz. The poll doesn't mention City Council Chairman Charlie Miranda or fitness author Don Ardell. The pollsters told callers they worked for Frederick Polls, but didn't identify which campaign was paying them. "There are a lot of polls on the street," said Adam Goodman, a campaign consultant to the Buckhorn campaign. "We don't comment on our polls." Buckhorn's campaign finance report shows he paid Keith Frederick Research, a pollster based in Arlington, Va., to conduct "research" in November 2001.
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From the Times |
