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His 'Dream' not ballot reality

Election officials nix a state House candidate’s bid to be “Hakeem The Dream” on election day, but his vision remains.

By JUSTIN GEORGE
Published July 26, 2006

TAMPA — His parents named him Charlie Brown, and he hated it.

“Boy, I had a hard time, because people always expected you to clown,” he said. “When I got old enough, then, I decided I wanted a name that better represented me.“

And Hakim means wise.”Thus the name Hakim Majied Aquil was born in 1975 after Aquil legally rejected his birth name, made famous by a round-headed, melancholy cartoon character.

Aquil, a Democrat who owns a Tampa sports and casual wear company, made a name for himself as a concert promoter. He is now running for state House District 59.

For that, he decided another name change might help. He wanted his name spelled “Hakeem 'The Dream’ Aquil” on the ballot and wrote that on a form he filed with the Secretary of State. After all, the form said, “Please print name as you wish it to appear on the ballot.”

Keep dreaming. The Florida Division of Elections allows nicknames to appear on the ballot when candidates normally go by them, said Division spokeswoman Jenny Nash.

“H-A-K-I-M A-Q-U-I-L,” Nash spelled out what the ballot will say in the Sept. 5 primary election.
Aquil wanted two “ee’s” instead of an “i” because he thought it better rhymed with “dream.”

Hakeem “The Dream” is also a nickname made famous by retired NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon.

Hakim Aquil acknowledges the nickname was Olajuwon’s first. But he said he was really inspired by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech.

“Hakeem 'The Dream’ Aquil: A dream for a better Florida,” he quipped.

“Basically, I hoped to do some things a little different than the regular politician, put a little pizazz in it,” he said.

The slogan still appears on his Web site and campaign signs. He read Tuesday’s newspaper and concluded that even Sen. Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Leadership Council must like the idea. They called their economic policy package the “American Dream Initiative.”

“There it is: That word 'dream,’ ” Aquil said. “The dream is good. If the mind can conceive it, it can be done.”

Just not on a ballot.

[Last modified July 26, 2006, 21:45:44]