The West Pasco Republican Club encourages the county's Republican leadership to formally endorse her for superintendent.
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET
Published June 23, 2004
NEW PORT RICHEY - The West Pasco Republican Club has lined up behind schools superintendent candidate Heather Fiorentino, passing a resolution Tuesday that encourages the county's Republican Executive Committee to formally endorse her.
The club cannot endorse a candidate unless the Republican Executive Committee - the leadership of the local party - does so first. The executive committee heard from Fiorentino and her primary opponent, Chuck Rushe, last week but fell six votes short of the quorum to make an endorsement.
"People feel that (Fiorentino) is someone who represents our Republican values, the values of our party," said Chris Sprowls, president of the West Pasco Republican Club. "That's something they're concerned about, and they want to make sure she's elected come November."
Neither candidate attended the club's meeting.
The race to replace retiring Superintendent John Long pits Fiorentino, a state representative and former teacher, against Rushe, the school district's chief financial officer, in the Aug. 31 Republican primary. The winner would face Democrat Alice Delgardo and a write-in candidate, James Griffin, on the Nov. 2 ballot.
Rushe questioned Tuesday whether the Republican Executive Committee should vote again on endorsing a candidate, as the vote last week died for lack of a quorum. A handful of last-minute abstentions left the group several votes shy of a majority needed for an endorsement.
At first, executive committee members were told their ballots could not be counted because the vote was invalid. But after getting the blessing from a state Republican attorney after the meeting adjourned, local party chairman Bill Bunting allowed the count, even though no endorsement could come of it.
Rushe doesn't trust the numbers released by Bunting - 52 for Fiorentino, five for Rushe, and a couple of abstentions - because the count was done after he left the meeting. But with the party leadership backing his opponent, Rushe said another vote would not surprise him.
"They're starting to sound like the Democrats in the last presidential election," Rushe said, chuckling. "They're going to keep trying until they get the answer they want."
While the Republican leadership is backing Fiorentino, Rushe has been endorsed by the teachers' union and Long, a Democrat.
The West Pasco Republican Club weighed in on two other races Tuesday. The group recommended the Republican Executive Committee also endorse County Commissioner Ann Hildebrand and John Legg, who is running for the state representative seat being vacated by Fiorentino. Both candidates face opponents in the Aug. 31 primary.
- Bridget Hall Grumet covers Pasco County government. She can be reached in west Pasco at 869-6244, or toll-free at 1-800-333-7505, ext. 6244. Her e-mail address is hall@sptimes.com
