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Martinez: Memo a learning experience

The senator confirms that his chief of staff had called "five or six" supporters to reassure them. Meanwhile, his staff is reviewing internal operations.

By ANITA KUMAR and ADAM C. SMITH
Published April 16, 2005

TAMPA - After a spate of public criticism and humiliation, Sen. Mel Martinez vowed to sit down and talk about his mistakes and possible changes in how his staff operates.

But on Friday, a day after a new poll showed he has lost favor with voters, Florida's freshman senator said he won't talk about it, he just wants to get this episode behind him.

"I don't intend to dwell on it," Martinez said after speaking at the University of South Florida for National Hispanic Heritage Month. "We're learning from it and we're moving on."

Behind closed doors, though, Martinez's staff is reviewing their internal operations and trying to appease critics.

Martinez instructed his staff to call a group of contributors, friends and advisers in Florida who complained earlier this week that his office has lost touch with people who matter in his home state. They worry that Martinez is squandering his cachet as a former Cabinet member and the nation's first Cuban-American senator.

Martinez confirmed Friday that Chief of Staff John Little had called "five or six people" to reassure them and let them know how to contact the office. But he said when he learned that the St. Petersburg Times was asking about the phone calls, he suggested his staff might stop calling supporters rather than give fodder for another article in the newspaper.

The Times reported Wednesday that some of Martinez's closest friends and supporters in Florida were critical of him for several blunders that have marred his first three months in office.

"I do know that I've been up in his office (in Washington) and I know for three or four months it's been chaotic," said Vern Buchanan, a Sarasota car dealer and Martinez's former campaign finance chairman. "He wants to do well. Someone just dropped the ball ... But anyone who'd gone up there would have had the same problems."

Several Florida supporters who got reassuring calls from Martinez's staff said they were reluctant to talk about their conversations because they feared they would be shut out of the senator's inner circle.

No one in the audience at the USF College of Business Administration on Friday asked Martinez about the Schiavo memo, but reporters later peppered him with questions.

"It was a huge mistake, and I take full responsibility," a visibly annoyed Martinez told them.

Martinez said last week that he had not known that a senior staffer wrote a controversial memo explaining how Republicans members of Congress could exploit the Terri Schiavo case. Unbeknownst to him, he said, the memo ended up in the pocket of his suit jacket and he handed it to another senator without realizing what it was.

Earlier this week, Martinez and his staff indicated he would sit down and talk about the memo following reviews by his office and the Senate Rules Committee. "I'm waiting to do it right," he said.

Bby week's end, Martinez did not want to talk about it. His spokeswoman Kerry Feehery said there was nothing more to say.

A Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday shows Martinez's disapproval rating rose from 23 percent in February to 29 percent now. His approval rating was essentially unchanged, 43 percent in April.

The numbers were unchanged for his colleague, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson. His approval rating remained steady at 50 percent and disapproval rating at 17 percent.

The poll surveyed 1,044 Florida registered voters from April 4-11; the margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent.

Martinez said Friday he and his Washington staff are reviewing their internal operations, but he does not expect to shake up his staff.

"I'm not going to be paralyzed into inaction, but I do intend to look at everything we do," Martinez said. "I don't anticipate any other staff changes."

But he did ask his longtime administrative assistant to start working out of his Washington office - a move that may help appease criticism that his staff does not know Florida.

Martinez said he has generally been pleased by his start in the Senate but that it takes time to learn the ropes. While he sets the tone for his office, he said, "I am not there 24/7," and he has to rely on staff.

Staff writer Anita Kumar can be reached at kumar@sptimes.com or 202 463-0576.

[Last modified April 16, 2005, 01:21:18]