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A pro-redevelopment group will pull a TV ad with Hulk Hogan, and an opposition group's fliers have attracted complaints.
By CHRISTINA HEADRICK
© St. Petersburg Times, published July 4, 2000
CLEARWATER -- Hulk Hogan joined the forces of downtown redevelopment late last week when a television ad began airing on Time Warner channels in Clearwater.
"The plan will improve the quality of life for everyone in Clearwater," Hogan says in the ad, referring to a July 11 city referendum on a complex downtown redevelopment plan. "That's why I'm voting yes."
Or at least, Hulk would if he could.
The political ad was smacked down Monday because Hogan, also known as Terry Bollea, lives in an 18,000-square-foot mansion in Belleair. Therefore, he is not eligible to vote in Clearwater's referendum, according to the Supervisor of Elections Office.
"I'm going to pull the ad as soon as I can," said Ed Armstrong, chairman of the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce, when he learned of the error from a reporter Monday.
The chamber's political committee paid for the ad as part of a $40,000 budget for television advertising to produce at least two commercials leading up to the referendum next week, Armstrong said.
In next week's vote, the city is asking residents for permission to lease city land downtown to developers for up to 99 years at $1 a year to spur a redevelopment plan with new shops, housing and a movie theater downtown. Voters also will decide whether to issue bonds for a new main library and whether to allow Calvary Baptist Church to swap some land with the city.
Armstrong said Bollea was asked to speak because his wrestling persona appeals to young voters, whose support is crucial.
"I would say the mistake was unintentional," he said. "I would contrast this significantly with the blatant lies promulgated by Save the Bayfront."
Bollea couldn't be reached for comment Monday.
Armstrong challenged Save the Bayfront, a group against the downtown plan, to "recant, retract or correct" numerous inaccuracies in two fliers they have mailed to registered voters.
The most recent Save the Bayfront flier, which arrived at mailboxes last week, accuses the developers of trying to get a lease for the city's downtown land and "spin it off to a Scientology-controlled front group for a few quick million dollars profit."
Developer George de Guardiola says that is a ludicrous claim. He has offered to put a clause in a future lease with the city that the lease can never be reassigned to a Scientology entity.
Save the Bayfront's most recent flier includes other inaccuracies, such as stating that Coachman Park's green space will be entirely replaced with a 12,000-seat amphitheater. Actually, Coachman Park will be tripled in size, according to the downtown plan. A new amphitheater will be built with grass seating, capable of handling large crowds a few times yearly for events like Jazz Holiday.
The flier also accuses City Manager Mike Roberto of "trickery." It showcases a cartoon of the commission with their pockets stuffed with money. Commissioners have taken the cartoon as an accusation they are accepting bribes.
"I was genuinely outraged," said Mayor Brian Aungst last week after receiving the flier in the mail. Aungst called the cartoon "defamatory."
Last Thursday on Take 2, the mayor's city television program, Aungst suggested that people "line your bird cage with it or wrap fish or just do what I'm going to and throw it in the trash."
Then Aungst crumpled up the flier and threw it toward the television camera.
Save the Bayfront spokeswoman Anne Garris says the group's fliers had one typo, but they are accurate. The fliers use words like "could," she said.
"Why would we have put it out if it was inaccurate?" Garris said last week. "Everything in there is a real possibility."
Garris complained about another piece of mail, paid for by Citizens for a Better Clearwater. Marked "Important Election Information" on the envelopes, the piece includes an official-looking absentee ballot request form. Actually, it's not governmental.
Citizens for a Better Clearwater mailed the absentee ballot requests to 10,000 people who answered telephone polls saying they would vote "yes" for the redevelopment plan, said the group's spokesman, Scott Wintrip. Encouraging people to request absentee ballots in this way is legal, said interim Supervisor of Elections Deborah Clark.
A extraordinarily high number of absentee ballots -- about 2,600 -- already have been requested, said Sue Diana, an assistant city clerk.