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ADRIENNE P. SAMUELSNeil Brickfield releases fliers and ads accusing rival Ronnie Duncan of abusing the environment.
If recent campaign mailers are any indication, the race for the Pinellas County Commission District 1 seat has gotten contentious.
Candidate Neil Brickfield, a Safety Harbor commissioner and janitorial services business owner, has sent out a mailer attacking fellow candidate Ronnie Duncan, a commercial real estate developer who is board chairman of the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The two men are among four candidates competing in Tuesday's primary to decide who will be the Republican candidate in the Nov. 2 election.
The document accuses Duncan of being anti-environment.
Brickfield said he wants voters to know what he considers to be the "real" Ronnie Duncan.
"People in Pinellas love the environment," said Brickfield, 41, of Safety Harbor. "(Duncan) holds views that it's okay for developers to develop on wetlands."
Brickfield bases his argument on testimony Duncan gave before a Congressional subcommittee in 1997 on wetlands protection rules.
Brickfield also paid to have a newspaper-style, professionally drawn cartoon created, showing a caricature of Duncan over-watering a lush lawn. The back of the flier states Duncan got a citation in 2000 for watering his lawn on the wrong day.
Duncan, 47, said Brickfield doesn't understand the inner workings of the water management district or the story behind the citation.
"If I were truly only pro-developer, I would never have voted the number of times I voted for water stewardship, for buying sensitive lands throughout the district and preserving them for the future," Duncan said.
Duncan said none of his fliers negatively mention other candidates. His most recent flier touts his endorsements and includes pictures of the candidate with Gov. Jeb Bush and state Attorney General Charlie Crist.
Duncan said he did receive a watering citation. His sprinkler system at his home was old and malfunctioning, he said.
"We were guilty, so we paid the fine and moved on," said Duncan, who didn't contest the ticket. "I wasn't going to try to hide behind it or do anything politically that would have tried to hide the fact that it was a faulty system. Just like I'm responsible for what my kids do, I'm responsible for what my irrigation system does."
The other Republican candidates for the seat are J.J. Beyrouti, 52, mayor of Redington Shores and a real estate investor and owner; and Lucile Casey, 62, a licensed Realtor and former teacher.
The winner faces Democrat Norm Roche, former public relations specialist with Pinellas County Utilities, in the general election.
--Adrienne Samuels can be reached at 445-4157 or samuels@sptimes.com