Election 2004

Flier on phone company donations zings back

The Republican's mailer about campaign contributions gets an answer from the Democrat: So did you.

By MELIA BOWIE
Published November 2, 2004

The campaign flier about a phone rate hike hit some Pasco doorsteps days before today's election.

The mailer from state House District 46 Republican candidate John Legg blasts his opponent, Democrat Dee Thomas, for taking campaign contributions "from the big phone companies."

Well, so did Legg, Thomas fired back on Monday.

According to the state's Division of Elections, Legg accepted a $500 contribution from AT&T in 2002 when he was running for the House's District 45 seat against Rep. Tom Anderson.

So "it's pretty hypocritical of him," said Nancy Texeira, Thomas' campaign manager.

"He took money in 2002 and under his own logic, if taking money from the phone companies means you're going to raise rates, then he would have raised it in 2003 if he'd been elected in (District) 45," she said.

When asked about the contribution, Legg - a 29-year-old charter school founder - said, "I don't know exactly who gave me what in 2002.

"But in this (2004) election I was approached by Bell South and Verizon asking if I would support them. ... I flatly said no. I kind of came out early and said we don't support this issue," Legg said Monday.

This latest flap in the District 46 race stems from a still-controversial vote in 2003 by the state Legislature, which approved a bill to deregulate Florida's phone industry. Gov. Jeb Bush vetoed a similar bill in 2002.

Neither Legg nor Thomas was in a position to vote on the issue in 2003. Neither has held public office before.

To date, Thomas' platform has included fostering small businesses, environmental issues, educational support for teachers and lower health care costs.

Legg highlighted in-home care for seniors, reduced health care costs, more accountability for schools and exceptional education programs.

But his stance on the phone rate issue has gained increasing prominence in the election's final moments.

The same flier that criticizes Thomas promises "Legg will fight to roll back the rate increase."

Democrats called the ad a "scare tactic."

Thomas, a 58-year-old physical therapist who runs an employee-owned firm, said she does not support a phone rate hike.

"For Legg to more than imply that I would do otherwise is a distortion of the facts," she said, adding: "I will not be bought by lobbyists."

During her campaign, Thomas accepted $3,000 to $4,000 from phone lobbyists, Texeira said. But she called Legg's mailer suggesting those dollars are funding Thomas' campaign misleading.

Records show Thomas raised more than $170,000. The money from phone companies "doesn't even pay for one radio spot or one mail piece," Texeira added.

The Thomas campaign challenged Legg to retract the flier.

Legg, meanwhile, accused Thomas of "making a desperate attack."

"The bottom line is, this is a last-minute, desperate attempt to come out on an issue that she has not been clear on," he said.

[Last modified November 2, 2004, 00:34:11]