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Looking beyond the words of politicians

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published August 17, 2006

After serving as a panelist in six candidate forums for the League of Women Voters of Hillsborough County, I came away with a variety of observations.

The forums, which will be televised on various government access channels during the next three weeks, are not the sexiest programs on TV. However, those who want to take an informed opinion into the voting booth on Sept. 5 will find the broadcasts useful.

I find insight not only in the candidates' answers but in how they respond. Manner, confidence and diction all prove to be interesting indicators.

Here are some specific notes.

* Kim Berfield and Frank Farkas don't like each other. The two state representatives from Pinellas County are vying for the District 16 state Senate seat, and, from the beginning, I sensed a tension between the two.

It only got more intense during the portion of the program when candidates were allowed to ask each other questions. Farkas unloaded a potential bombshell, asking Berfield about a 2004 inauguration event she attended as the paid guest of an influential person in the insurance industry.

Farkas was a little shaky on his facts. As Times reporter Curtis Krueger revealed in a story last week, the "inauguration" actually was a South Florida fundraiser for President Bush, and Berfield had filed documentation that lent justification to her attendance.

Still, in a format typically ruled by civility, it was great to see the two candidates have a testy exchange. Watching Berfield keep her composure was telling.

Although both Berfield and Farkas are from Pinellas, the district includes 90,000 Hillsborough residents.

* Hillsborough County Commissioner Kathy Castor is the frontrunner in the 11th Congressional District, and state Sen. Les Miller, D-Tampa, is her most serious challenger.

However, I thought attorney Scott Farrell had a lot of positive moments during the forum taped Monday. Farrell has never held elected office, and his views aren't terribly different than the other four candidates in the race Castor, Miller and attorneys Michael Steinberg and Al Fox.

Yet it was Farrell who made points with a delivery that was articulate, forceful but not overbearing. I didn't agree with every answer, but he had an answer to every question.

When the panel was asked what made them uniquely qualified to represent the large African-American and Hispanic constituencies in the district, Farrell had the best answer, saying he actually has been out asking what they want.

I'm sure the other candidates also have knocked on doors, but Farrell said it and the others didn't.

Miller also turned in a strong performance, and Castor highlighted her efforts on the commission. However, she struggled to complete thoughts in the allotted time and had to be cut off by the moderators.

Being concise is a necessity.

* Kevin White, BIDDING for the Democratic nomination in the District 3 County Commission seat, twice had to field questions about his campaign contributions. I asked White and his two opponents, Chloe Coney and Nicolle Admire, what assurances could they give voters that they won't be under the influence of the county's powerful political brokers?

Coney, when given a chance to question White, asked why so many of campaign dollars came from people outside of the district?

White said he cannot be bought, and his diverse list of contributors is an indication of his broad appeal.

Still, if I were White, I would end some of the speculation and give back the $3,000 he accepted from Republican kingmaker Ralph Hughes. Hughes' conservative views and ardent disdain for public transit hardly gibe with the needs and wants of the urban residents in District 3.

* Finally, the congeniality award goes to Ray Young and Sandra Murman, two of the three Republicans running for the District 10 state Senate seat. The absence of the third candidate, fiery county Commissioner Ronda Storms, probably reduced the potential for harsh tones, but Young and Murman were excessively cordial.

No, you don't want candidates to hit below the belt. You do, however, want candidates to take a few shots. Young and Murman were so nice that their spouses should have been jealous.

That's all I'm saying.

Ernest Hooper can be reached at (813) 226-3406 or hooper@sptimes.com.

[Last modified August 17, 2006, 06:29:59]