War of dot com names marks commission race

By DAVID KARP

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 2, 2000

TAMPA -- Early in the election season, Republican Sam Rashid wanted to make sure his candidate for the Hillsborough County Commission, Stacey Easterling, had her Web site name reserved: stacey2000.com.

Then, he took his interest further.

Rashid spent $175 to buy five domain names bearing the name of Easterling's opponent, County Commissioner Ben Wacksman. Rashid bought benwacksman.com, bwacksman.com, wacksman2000.com, bwacksman2000.com and benwacksman2000.com. The purpose: Rashid wanted to block Wacksman from setting up a Web site under his name.

"I am going to help however I need to help to make sure Ben Wacksman has a tough race," Rashid said.

Now, a Brandon resident has filed a complaint with the Florida Election Commission against Rashid over his purchase of the Web site names. James M. Randolph, who met Wacksman through a speaking club, filed the complaint Tuesday alleging that Rashid had given Easterling more than the maximum $500 contribution allowed by law.

"I couldn't believe people do stuff like that," said Randolph, whose computer consulting company gave $25 to Wacksman's campaign.

Rashid purchased the Web site names for $35 each in April, after he, his wife and several of his companies had donated to Easterling's campaign the maximum $500 contribution allowed by law.

Campaign records show that Easterling, a former prosecutor for the late Harry Lee Coe, reimbursed Rashid's company $85 for Web site registration fees on June 2 -- about two months after Rashid had bought the five Wacksman names.

Rashid says that the payments were legal because Easterling reimbursed him. Easterling declined to comment Tuesday.

"Extremism is something that we in Hillsborough County should not accept," Wacksman said. "We need to realize that elections are not about war. What campaigns should be about are issues."

Rashid, though, missed this domain name: votewacksman.com.

- Times Staff Writer David Karp can be reached at (813) 226-3376 or karp@sptimes.com

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