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KATHY SAUNDERSGeorge Makrauer coulda been a contender. Actually, he was, for mayor. He campaigned hard, only to be Maloofed.
As the wisdom goes, if you want to know a person, walk around in his shoes a while.
Times photographer Chris Zuppa spent parts of eight weeks on the Treasure Island campaign trail with George Makrauer.
The candidate whaling on a drum kit.
Crooning with a dog.
Sweating out a private moment before a debate.
Standing post at the polls on Election Day.
And walking. Lots of walking.
Makrauer dropped two belt notches on his odyssey of Treasure Island's neighborhoods and commercial districts. Wife Taaron often went along with her husband, whose vinyl green shoulder pouch carried maps, statistics about the community, a copy of the much-loathed land development regulations, and notebooks that he filled with neighbors' concerns.
Treasure Island, population 7,500, has been a whirl of charged politics the past year, with the omen of 10-story buildings rising on the beachfront and voters swarming in record numbers to wrestle authority over development from their commissioners.
A single issue often can drive an election on the beaches. In the 2002 St. Pete Beach election, proposed development rules similar to Treasure Island's drew seven candidates to a memorably ugly campaign. This year in Madeira Beach, a group called We Vote put forward a slate of candidates to challenge the status quo. In Treasure Island, the new rules for beachfront building galvanized 11 candidates to run for three elected offices.
George Makrauer, 59, had won and lost commission elections before, most recently serving four years ago. But the former plastics industry executive remained politically active with Treasure Island Voters Watch, which hosted candidate debates and promoted public discourse on local issues.
He says he had no intention of running again this year, but he saw the city swamped in lawsuits and believed Mayor Leon Atkinson's opinionated style was alienating residents. Makrauer also wanted a review of the finances for the $60-million Causeway bridge replacement and, of course, the land development regulations that were muscled into law against the voters' will.
He had money to spend to get his point across, too. Almost $20,000 bought T-shirts for his 40-person team, 500 signs, thousands of brochures and mailers, and black and gold pens ("Write a New Chapter for Treasure Island").
"It's a good pen. I have a lifetime supply for my friends," Makrauer said.
Did he think about the money, about $19,000 of it his own and believed a record for a Pinellas beach campaign?
"Sure I did. It's an important part of prudent management. But it's my money and I have, as anyone does, the privilege of wisely or foolishly spending my money."
So he hit the streets. One of his notebook entries is about the Sunset Beach woman who wanted help getting signs to tell drivers to slow down because children play there. There was a note to himself to find out why Treasure Island didn't accept an Isle of Capri woman's offer to write grants for the city free of charge.
"People would offer me water or a Coke all the time," said Makrauer, who perspires heavily. "Regardless of whether they were going to vote for me, the last thing they wanted to see me do was collapse on their doorsteps."
For all of his investment, Makrauer would lose again.
Mary Maloof, also a veteran of winning and losing campaigns, was a sitting commissioner familiar to voters. She almost won the general election outright, even though she faced three opponents and needed 50 percent of the vote to win. Makrauer squeaked into the runoff, but his deficit only grew. He ultimately would lose six of every 10 votes.
Neighbors have long memories, Makrauer learned. Some were still angry that in 1999 he didn't want the Friendship Community Church or any other church to locate in the downtown district. Some residents brought up the destruction of an oleander tree on private property that Makrauer couldn't prevent as a commissioner.
In the end, he believes voters picked the more comfortable candidate.
"People want to hear nice things. They want to know that when they turn on their faucets, water is going to come out, when they turn on their lights, they will come on, and when they put their garbage out it will be picked up. They don't want to think about the more influential, underlying issues that ultimately affect the quality and cost at which those services are delivered."
Makrauer said his campaigning days are over, that he has no regrets and that "this town is a wonderful place" in which to live.