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Mayoral endorsement splits Democrats

A candidate for St. Petersburg mayor is upset that two Democratic commissioners back the GOP incumbent.

By ADAM C. SMITH
Published September 2, 2005

ST. PETERSBURG - The way Pinellas County commissioners Ken Welch and Calvin Harris see it, Rick Baker has been a good mayor for St. Petersburg, and they're happy to help him win a second term.

The way mayoral candidate Ed Helm sees it, Harris and Welch are Democrats with no business publicly helping a Republican, even in an officially nonpartisan race. Unless they publicly withdraw their support for Baker, Helm wants them off the party's executive committee and possibly censured or fined.

"I don't consider it petty. I consider loyalty in politics to be very important," said Helm, himself a member of the county Democratic executive committee. "How are you going to attract candidates to run for office if leaders of the party turn their back on them?"

The budding internal strife frustrates Pinellas Democratic chairman Carrie Wadlinger, who sees more pressing priorities for the local party. She acknowledged, though, that members of local executive committees are barred from supporting non-Democrats in any election besides judicial races.

Welch endorsed Baker months ago, but that was before Helm entered the race. When Wadlinger learned Wednesday that Harris is among dozens of people hosting a Sept. 9 fundraiser for Baker at the Snell Isle home of Dr. A.K. Desai, she groaned.

"You're not allowed to do that. Ed will probably make it a big issue," Wadlinger said.

Her vice chairman, Arlin Briley, was less dismissive about the seriousness of Harris' and Welch's alleged offense.

"Just as a person has loyalty to God and family and country, we certainly expect loyalty to the party," Briley said. This is not the first time such controversies have arisen in Pinellas. In 1997, former Pinellas Republican vice chairman Dale Gross unsuccessfully sued to have the GOP's loyalty oath declared unconstitutional because he wanted to support David Fischer, a Democrat, for mayor.

In 1998, the Republican executive committee yanked the picture of county Commissioner Sallie Parks off the wall after she endorsed Harris for County Commission. But that was a partisan race, and former GOP chairman Paul Bedinghaus subsequently said he wished he'd handled it differently. In 2001, some Pinellas Democrats wanted to boot former party chairman Larry Hyman from the party because he backed Baker.

"This is a monumental waste of time when the party has other issues we need to focus on," said Welch, who is widely seen as a mayoral contender in four years. "I told (Helm) this is a nonpartisan race. I've worked with Rick Baker on several key issues, on Midtown. He's been a good mayor."

Harris said he hadn't heard directly from Helm about his support for Baker, but he said won't back away from Baker, Republican or not.

"Ed is a nice guy and an intelligent guy, but when we're in the midst of the kind of progress that the city is making, it's not a time to make a change," Harris said, noting that Baker avidly supported him. "This is a time when you have to get beyond partisanship."

Baker said he assumes at least half his supporters are Democrats and that even as an active and enthusiastic Republican he has backed plenty of Democrats, including state Rep. Frank Peterman, School Board member Mary Brown and commissioners Harris and Welch.

Adam C. Smith can be reached at 727893-8241 or adam@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 2, 2005, 02:15:35]