Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Guest Column

With political candidates, follow the money trail

By CHRIS LLOYD
Published October 13, 2006

For those seeking political election, it is a well-known fact that monetary contributions are a key factor in eventual success. In the example of the highest office in the land, the president, it is helpful for a candidate to have pass keys to both Fort Knox and the Federal Reserve System.

In this race, we are talking billions of dollars when measured from end to end. Remember, much of this collateral never sees disclosure in the cold light of day.

Even in Florida races involving such "clean" candidates as Charlie Crist and Bill Nelson, we know that big money is still the big player.

Professional scammer and lobbyist Jack Abramoff, a self-confessed rogue, is now facing serious jail time. His successors wait in the wings for their calling to justice.

Katherine Harris, who is challenging Nelson for a seat in the U.S. Senate, is throwing megabucks into a campaign that looks to have shorter legs than an alligator. But Mrs. Harris has a considerable personal treasure chest in the range of several million dollars.

All of this has an immediate translation into the humble world of Citrus County politics.

We have a local candidate, Gerald Kelley, running for an apparently minuscule office on the Mosquito Control Board. Kelley has accumulated campaign contributions in excess of $15,000. The problem with this scenario? Mr. Kelley loaned his own campaign $15,000.

School Board candidate Linda Powers raised $26,500 for her successful bid for re-election. Her opponent was grass roots candidate Bruce Bellamy, a black community member who raised just $1,361. No wonder Bellamy was eradicated.

Then we get to the ultimate gross example of local political sponsorship, the District 4 seat on the Board of County Commissioners. John Thrumston has collected at least $71,500, which is an obscenely inflated number when compared with the competition within his own race.

Irrespective of whether a voter is enchanted with Thrumston by party affiliation or otherwise, this level of money sponsorship attracts the immediate question as to what his financial supporters might expect by way of return.

Just as rock mining and the phosphate industry are major players at the state level, the construction industry is backing Thrumston's campaign. It is the way of the world, and it can be confirmed easily by researching the records of the supervisor of elections.

Maybe Thrumston is the best, most popular candidate on the District 4 ballot. That must be decided by the electorate on Nov. 7. Statisticians, those who study numbers and trends, would question the huge disparity between his monetary contributions and those of any other candidate, any other race, anywhere in the county.

The intent of this column is not pro- or anti-John Thrumston or any other candidate. It is intended to provoke the average voter to research the credentials of those seeking popular support.

Florida's very open election laws, well implemented through the Supervisor of Elections Office, can provide Joe Average with a view of every candidate's financial records. Any smart voter would be well advised to study this detail.

It is a reasonable assumption that any financial backer wants something in return. It is our duty to question this motivation before casting our vote.

Chris Lloyd is a Homosassa resident, civic activist and occasional commentator. Guest columnists write their opinions on subjects that they choose, which do not necessarily reflect those of this newspaper.

[Last modified October 13, 2006, 06:26:28]