Penny for Pasco backers fear many won't show up now that Democratic presidential nomination has pretty much been decided.
By STEPHEN HEGARTY and BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published March 4, 2004
Could John Kerry's winning streak be a blow to the Penny for Pasco?
With Kerry all but wrapping up the Democratic presidential nomination this week, officials wonder how many Pasco voters will bother going to the polls Tuesday, when Florida holds its presidential primary.
That could mean fewer Democrats voting on the other issue of the day, the proposed 1-cent-on-the-dollar sales tax hike for school, county and city projects. And Democrats belong to the only local party that has endorsed the Penny for Pasco plan.
"In all honesty, I am worried about it," said Pasco schools superintendent John Long. "We knew this was a possibility. That's one of the reasons we accelerated the push for absentee ballots - in anticipation this thing (the presidential primary) might come to a close before next week."
Long might have cause for concern, said Susan MacManus, professor of government and international affairs at the University of South Florida.
"This could affect the Democratic turnout, and in Florida . . . it's all about turnout, no matter what the contest," said MacManus, who lives in Land O'Lakes.
But there are two pieces of good news for Penny supporters, she said. Many Pasco Democrats are older voters who "vote at the drop of a hat," she said.
The county also has a growing number of young families, she said, and they may be more likely to support a sales tax hike for schools than the Pasco voters who defeated a 1-cent proposal in 1995.
The bottom line?
"This referendum isn't going to be made or broken on this issue of the presidential primary," MacManus said. "Both sides need to make their case and get their supporters out."
The proposed tax hike would raise $437-million over 10 years, with the schools and county each getting 45 percent, and the cities splitting the rest.
Critics initially accused the county of stacking the deck in favor of the tax by holding the election alongside the Democratic presidential primary. Republicans and independent voters can also vote on the sales tax, but they don't have a presidential primary drawing them to the polls this year.
The County Commission pointed to efficiency reasons - shorter ballot, earlier result for budget planners - when placing Penny for Pasco on the March 9 ballot, over the objections of Commissioner Pat Mulieri. They also vowed to publicize the issue.
The county's upcoming newspaper ads, coupled with the media blitz by the Pasco's Citizen Committee promoting the sales tax hike, gives the proponents ample advantage, said tax critic Bill Bunting.
"They're advertising on television, they're advertising on billboards, they're advertising on (signs along) state roads," Bunting said. "They've created the awareness for this. With the amount they've spent, they'll have high turnout."
Bunting is countering with a small table outside the West Pasco Government Center, where he urges passersby to vote and distributes brochures printed by the Citizens Against the Penny for Pasco, a group headed by his wife, Ann. His "Ax the Tax" posters lined the courtyard Wednesday.
Several people have complained this week that Bill Bunting or his volunteers "accosted" them, said Supervisor of Elections Kurt Browning. But as long as Bunting stays at least 50 feet from the entrance, he has the right to solicit voters, Browning said.
Bunting said he simply asks people if they plan to vote, and offers information if they are interested. Some people are.
Theresa O'Brien was leaning in favor of the sales tax when she walked up to the government center Wednesday to vote early at Browning's office. After talking to Bunting, she became a firm "no" vote.
"I was thinking a penny isn't that much," O'Brien said, holding Bunting's anti-tax brochure. "But it just seems like they have to handle their money more wisely instead of asking for more."
