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Political junkie

Storms keeps the curious guessing about Senate run

By Times staff writers
Published January 11, 2006

Will County Commissioner Ronda Storms run for the District 10 state Senate seat being vacated by Tom Lee, or won't she?

Talk among political observers was rampant that Storms could either announce her bid or file the necessary paperwork to make her a candidate in the race today. Then again, some had speculated that she might file Tuesday, and the previous Friday, and a few other dates.

Meanwhile, there is some banter that Storms has decided not to run after all and will simply finish out the remaining two years of her commission term.

Storms declined to clarify the issue, swatting away multiple questions aimed at getting her to spill the beans and tossing out curve balls to boot. She even suggested there may be no announcement at all, only a discreet mailing of her filing papers to the state supervisor of elections.

Of the varying bits of speculation, Storms said: "People don't know what they don't know."

CASTOR WELL ON WAY: Another Hillsborough commissioner, who has made clear her ambitions - Kathy Castor, who is running for the District 11 U.S. House seat that Jim Davis is vacating - said this week that she has reached nearly the half-million dollar mark in fundraising.

Castor said her campaign took in more than $100,000 in the period that ended Dec. 31 to make her total about $465,000. Her goal is to raise $1-million by the Democratic primary, in which she is facing four other candidates. So far, she has spent $65,000.

"We've been very frugal," she said.

The other candidates - state Sen. Les Miller; Washington, D.C., businessman Al Fox; and lawyers Scott Farrell and Michael Steinberg - either could not be immediately reached or did not have their numbers handy.

Federal quarterly campaign fundraising reports are not due until the end of the month.

Miller, meanwhile, will hold a news conference Friday to announce endorsements from four elected officials. They are Manatee County Commissioner Gwen Brown, Manatee School Board member Barbara Harvey, Bradenton City Commissioner James Golden and Palmetto City Commissioner Mary Lancaster.

DEMOCRATIC FRONT-RUNNER EMERGES: She's far from catching Republican front-runner Gus Bilirakis in raising money to succeed Mike Bilirakis in Congress, but Phyllis Busansky is off to a strong start. The former Hillsborough commissioner raised about $182,000 in the two months since she jumped into the race, her campaign reports.

That should solidify her position as the clear Democratic front-runner even if state Rep. Gus Bilirakis has raised about $960,000 to date, including $220,000 in the final three months of 2005.

Republican David Langheier, a chiropractor, said he raised $21,000 in the last quarter.

CHAIRMAN TAKES CHARGE: Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Jim Norman is treating his re-election bid as though he were campaigning against a handful of heavyweights. In addition to walking neighborhoods nearly every night, he has brought in $47,470 to take his fundraising total in two quarters to $175,020.

So far, Norman faces Brandon hypnotherapist Jean Batronie, who hadn't turned in her latest report.

Meanwhile, east county Republican money raiser Sam Rashid made clear what has been known for months: that he is backing former Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce public relations guy Brad Swanson in the District 1 commission race to represent South Tampa and the county shoreline. Rashid, his companies and his wife gave several checks to Swanson, who netted $25,250 to bring his total to $48,250.

His main rival, Tampa City Council member Rose Ferlita, bested Swanson's total war chest in the quarter, grabbing $59,864 to take her total to $145,169. The other Republican, Gary Santii, had not turned in his report yet but has netted only one $100 contribution. Democrat Deborah Cope has raised $3,035 so far, including $1,265 in the past quarter.

Still no word yet on whether Democratic state Rep. Bob Henriquez is getting in this race.

Another City Council member with commission ambitions, Kevin White, who is running for the District 3 seat that Tom Scott will vacate, took in $28,140 to raise his total to $103,315. His only opponent so far, Republican insurance agent Ken Anthony, had not turned in his paperwork yet.

[Last modified January 11, 2006, 00:40:10]