Term limits bring home the race for cash

Politicians who lost their positions in Tallahassee to term limits are injecting funds from lobbyists and PACs into their campaigns for local offices.

By EDIE GROSS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 16, 2000

The Florida Beer Wholesalers Good Government Committee in Tallahassee thinks John Morroni would make a fine Pinellas County commissioner.

So does the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association in Opa-locka, the Florida Academy of Cosmetic Surgery Inc. in Ponte Vedra Beach and Florida Jai-Alai Inc. in Fern Park.

Political action committees, lobbyists, parimutuel interests and other donors outside Pinellas County have contributed about $35,000 to Morroni's campaign for the District 6 commission seat in mid-Pinellas. That's 45 percent of his war chest. It's also an unusual amount of statewide attention shown to a local candidate.

But Morroni isn't just any candidate.

The Feather Sound resident served eight years in the state House of Representatives before bumping up against term limits and returning to run for the County Commission.

It appears that his fundraising skills honed during his days in Tallahassee have followed him home.

"Other people aren't going to have that because they haven't been a state elected official," Morroni said when asked about the amount given by non-Pinellas donors. "Money doesn't win elections anyway. It's hard work, grass-roots campaigning and knowing the voters."

Then why has he amassed $77,005 as of June 30?

"The money is because you have to be able to compete," he said.

Term limits established in 1992 forced 62 legislators out of office this year. Like Morroni, many have decided to run for local offices in their hometowns.

Those who do likely will rely on those same donors who financed their larger campaigns, meaning the kind of statewide interest shown in Morroni's County Commission campaign will become more common, say political scholars.

Just across Tampa Bay, for example, Sen. Jim Hargrett has raised $40,000 in his bid for a Hillsborough County Commission seat. About half of that money comes from out-of-town groups and individuals -- and $8,400 of it from PACs and lobbyists.

"Elections this year are musical chairs all over the state of Florida. You've got people running for jobs you can't imagine them running for, but these people have been term-limited out. They've got politics in their blood. How else are they going to spend their day?" said Stephen Craig, a political science professor at the University of Florida.

"You've got people who know how to raise money because they have before," Craig said. "They have connections. They have access to money, so they're going to raise money."

Playing the game

The practice raises some obvious questions. Why would an Opa-locka horse racing organization contribute money to a Pinellas County Commission campaign? Why would anyone outside the area invest in a local race?

Several of those who contributed to Morroni's campaign said they did so out of friendship. Lobbyist Bob Levy was one of them.

"I care about John more than I care about Pinellas government, but if that's what John has chosen to do, that's what I want to support," said Levy, who lives in Miami. "I don't even contribute to my own commission races, living in a cesspool down here. I wish he was running here, but he's too nice of a guy to win here."

Coincidentally, all of the political action committees and parimutuels and all but three of the lobbyists who contributed to Morroni's campaign did so before the legislative session began March 7. Morroni insists those donors were not trying to curry favor with him during the 60-day session.

"They contribute to me out of the generosity of their heart," he said. "It's a "Thank you for your service.' I've taken money and voted against a group even though they've contributed to me."

But Kent Stirling, executive director of the Florida Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, said his group was, in fact, doing its best to cozy up to Morroni when the organization and two of its members contributed $1,500 to the campaign.

Morroni was chairman of the House Regulated Services Committee, which regulates alcohol, tobacco and parimutuel enterprises like horse racing.

"He was chairman of regulated industries in the House of Representatives, which is the most powerful committee handling regulated business, and being a parimutuel, we are heavily regulated," Stirling said. "It was more of his position in Tallahassee and the fact that he's helped us in the past. The way the game is played, you help people who help you."

Legislators like Morroni are not allowed to raise campaign money during the session, and Morroni said he mailed quite a few checks back during that time. Since the session ended, Morroni's fundraising has been predominantly local.

A handful of registered lobbyists have continued to give money to his campaign. Lobbyists know that even after a state legislator has left office, he still has connections, said Susan MacManus, a political science professor at the University of South Florida and chairwoman of the Florida Elections Commission.

"My guess is any time you see somebody who's been in a state office like a legislative post, you're going to see a different profile of giving than you see for a purely local candidate," MacManus said. "That county commissioner still has friends sitting up in Tallahassee. You're buying into a network."

Moroni sets no records

Ironically, those who supported the creation of single-member districts in Pinellas County insisted they would empower the little guy, the local resident who might not have the name recognition or the bank account to run a countywide race.

Morroni has raised more for his district race than even those candidates for countywide races like the Sheriff's Office and tax collector. However, he is not setting any records. Calvin Harris raised $107,000 in his heated 1998 County Commission race against Tom McKeon, although that race was countywide.

Several other commission candidates are not far behind Morroni. Susan Latvala, a Republican running for the single-member District 4 seat in North Pinellas, has raised $64,705 -- $10,400 of that from outside Pinellas County. Incumbent Commissioner Karen Seel, who has no opposition so far for the District 5 seat, has raised $58,745, only $2,500 of which is from outside the county.

Perkins T. Shelton said he supported single-member districts, approved by voters Nov. 2, because he hoped it would provide more of an opportunity to put a minority on the County Commission. District 7, which includes the south half of St. Petersburg, Gulfport, South Pasadena and Kenneth City, is considered a minority-influenced district with 21 percent of its population African-American.

But Shelton, a longtime civil rights activist, said he worries that big money coming from outside the county may supplant the power of local residents.

"Why would a person in Pasco County or somewhere else donate money to that particular candidate if he wasn't promised something for it?" Shelton asked. "People don't give money because they like your smiling face."

Seminole resident Jim Heap said he is less concerned about money coming from PACs and lobbyists outside the county than he is about money coming from nearby developers, who might seek to change the landscape.

And more important to him than the money issue is how much attention the candidates pay to the voters, he said. Heap, president of the grass-roots group United Citizens of Pinellas, will vote in District 6, where Morroni is running.

"My hope is the candidates running in the single-member districts will be closer to the community and spend more of their time where they get elected from," Heap said. "The paycheck is they've got to be re-elected or what's the point? And to be re-elected, they've got to listen to their folks."

Morroni's four opponents, two Republicans and two Democrats, have raised far less than he. Some were not sure what to think about Morroni's cash flow.

Dr. David Buby, a Democratic challenger, said he expected Morroni's war chest to be bigger than most because of his time in the Florida Legislature.

"He did a lot of favors for a lot of people in Tallahassee, and now he's getting paid back for it," Buby said. "I may not have the financial backing he does, but I'm hoping I have the votes. I still plan on beating him."

Republican Charles Fleer said he wondered how familiar Morroni is with neighborhood issues since so much of his support comes from outside the area.

"If you get money from outside that's totally irrelevant to the community, then you don't have to bother with community issues if the money wins the campaign," Fleer said. "Where campaign financing comes in is it's a reflection of . . . where they're going to put their emphasis and interest once in office.

"In a single-member district, if he wants to throw his money at it, let him go ahead and do it," Fleer said. "I'm not sure that's going to convince many people he even knows what the issues are."

Morroni said he's plenty familiar with local concerns. And he does not think his fundraising tactics will hurt him.

"I think people want to know where we are on the issues," he said, "not where the money comes from."

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