Sheriff's race forum turns ugly

Candidates trade attacks before a raucous crowd. "I never heard such stupidity,'' one spectator said.

By LEANORA MINAI

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 10, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- The candidates' forum for Pinellas County sheriff on Wednesday night turned into a contest of which supporters could cheer the loudest and who could level the lowest personal attack.

Tom McKeon, one of three candidates for sheriff, accused union leader and opponent Jack Soule of not being a Vietnam veteran, as touted on his Web site. Soule shot back, telling the 200 people in the audience that McKeon was the leader of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post on Indian Rocks Beach that went into foreclosure.

Incumbent Sheriff Everett Rice, a lawyer in his 12th year as sheriff, was singled out for managing his time poorly.

"The issues that they brought up were totally irrelevant," said Pinellas County resident Ellen A. Lebohner, a real estate broker who attended the forum. "I never heard such stupidity in all my life."

The gathering, sponsored by the St. Petersburg Republican Club, drew a raucous crowd to Piccadilly Cafeteria at 1900 34th St. N in St. Petersburg.

Supporters hooted and heckled while some residents spun testimonials into the microphone, prompting Carol Miele, a psychotherapist and forum moderator, to instruct the crowd to limit their stories.

"We don't have a screener, and I'm sorry about that," Miele, a member of St. Petersburg Republican Club, told the audience. "This is a very large crowd for us."

Soule, Rice and McKeon -- all Republicans and the only contestants in the race -- face off in the Sept. 5 primary for a job that pays $128,507 annually.

During the forum, each candidate had 10 minutes to introduce himself and his platform. Often during the forum, Rice and Soule were seen whispering to each other at the head dais. At the conclusion of the forum, the audience asked questions.

David Prior, a St. Petersburg Republican Club member, asked the candidates what they would do about the "open drug market in St. Petersburg," insinuating that St. Petersburg police Chief Goliath Davis III is not doing enough.

"What will you sheriff candidates do to work with this hostile police chief?" Prior asked.

Both McKeon and Soule said they would re-establish a countywide drug task force.

"I don't intend to overrun the St. Petersburg Police Department," Rice said.

McKeon, a former Philadelphia police officer, said his cornerstone is integrity and pointed out a reference in Soule's campaign literature. He said Soule was in the Air Force in Thailand, not Vietnam, and that Soule is not a Vietnam veteran.

Clearwater resident Kathy Rains stood with a map and asked Soule to point out what town he served in.

"Last time I looked at a map, Thailand was in southeast Asia," said Soule, president of the Pinellas County Police Benevolent Association. "I served my country proudly. We can't all be war heros, and I'm not."

Soule accused McKeon of stealing ideas from his Web site. "Yeah, I don't have all the education, but I'm very good at time management, and I can make the time to talk to people," Soule said.

Soule said Rice does not spend time with employees. "You must have fallen asleep during the time management course," Soule said.

Rice, who showed little emotion during the forum, introduced his chief deputy, wife and daughter to the crowd and took jabs from two residents who accused him of being inaccessible.

"The voters are going to have to decide who is the best qualified to run the Sheriff's Office," said Rice, now in his 12th year as sheriff. "Folks, this is a huge job."

As Rice left the forum, he remarked to Rains, the woman who held up the map: "I can show you where I was in Vietnam."

Reached after the forum, Rice said he was on a Merchant Marine vessel, hauling military cargo in and out of Vietnam.

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