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Hopeful owes thousands in child support

Port Richey mayoral candidate Mark Abbott says he and his ex-wife have agreed to a payment plan.

By ALEX LEARY
Published February 19, 2005

PORT RICHEY - Mayoral candidate Mark A. Abbott owes his former wife thousands of dollars in child support, according to court records.

Abbott, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Eloise Taylor in the April 12 election, failed to make payments several times since his divorce in 1998, records indicate, and he said Friday that he stopped paying altogether about two years ago.

At that point, he owed more than $2,000.

"I would imagine it would be thousands," Abbott said when asked how much he owes now.

But Abbott, 43, added he has paid for health insurance for his two sons (ages 9 and 12) and completed prepaid college funds for them. He said he and his former wife have come up with their own payment plan and reached an agreement to resolve the debt. He declined to reveal specifics.

His former wife, Rhonda O'Dell, declined comment when contacted by the Times.

Abbott attributed his financial problems mainly to a downturn in his business after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He runs Tech Net Electronics, which services and sells color scanners to the newspaper and printing industry.

"Nobody was buying scanners or new equipment," he said. "I was basically out of money."

The business had 10 employees at one time, but now Abbott is the lone employee. He said international sales picked up recently with the falling value of the dollar.

Shortly before the divorce, Abbott's wife was awarded a temporary injunction for protection against domestic violence. The incident began at Plummer Field in Port Richey on April 28, 1998. According to court records, Rhonda Abbott said he pushed her away from his van and took off with the children, saying she would not see them for a month.

She drove to their house on Bluepoint Drive and pulled behind the van so Abbott could not leave, a report said. At that point, according to the report, Abbott ran into the house with both children. The older boy's arm hit the doorway, causing swelling. It was Abbott, however, who called Port Richey police. He told police he did not want his wife to have the children "due to her being a flight risk."

In June of that year, Mrs. Abbott filed a notice of voluntarily dismissal for the injunction.

Abbott said Friday that more recently he and his former wife have had success in jointly raising the boys. "They are getting straight A's in school," he said.

The experience, he added, has made him a better person. "When it gets bad, it gets bad all around for a while. But you stand up and start making things for the positive."

As for his prospects for mayor, he said, "I don't believe (this) hurts me too bad because I'm willing to explain it in full detail with people in town meetings."

Taylor could not be reached Friday.

[Last modified February 19, 2005, 00:57:17]