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Harris provides lessons on wrong way to deal with press, public
© St. Petersburg Times, Katherine Harris must have gone to the Gary Condit School of Public Relations. Say nothing, hire your own expert and hide behind staff members who occasionally answer questions. Florida's secretary of state pioneered this approach to dealing with problems last year while helping the state look stupid. Her refusal to surrender public records or answer questions lately has some Republicans ready to strangle her. Democrats are loving it. Her actions give them fodder to help everyone remember the presidential election and keep it in the headlines and on the nightly news. Harris brought it all back to mind by taking a rather simple situation involving access to public records and turning it into a national incident that dragged on for weeks. The worst nightmare for Republicans would be a public records lawsuit that might go to trial, say, about a year from now. Harris' response to all of this makes it appear that she has something to hide. Democrats are convinced Harris was part of a conspiracy to steal the presidential election. Those of us who have been watching her every day would suggest she lacks the ability to participate in such a conspiracy. Republicans across the nation adore her, a feeling that seemed to grow as she was vilified by Democrats who blamed her for Al Gore's loss. Florida's Republican legislators will not criticize her in public. That would pose too much risk in a party where she is widely perceived as the savior of last year's election. But GOP legislative leaders did quietly question her activities when they approved her budget in May and appointed a review committee to look at the money she is spending on international affairs. Harris rarely speaks an unscripted word and declines any interview she cannot control. If she makes it to Congress and Condit is still there, they should sit together: prime examples of how not to deal with the press and public. Harris plans to run for the seat being vacated by U.S. Rep. Dan Miller, R-Bradenton. Other Republicans who had planned to run are getting out of her way. Sarasota banker Tramm Hudson, chairman of the local GOP, says he dropped plans to run after she told him of her interest in the race. Only Chester Flake III, a former newsman, will take the chance. He says he's staying in the race. It's likely to be a fun race because Democrats from all over the nation have pledged to come south and work against Harris. Some of her Election Day problems last November arose because she spent so much time focusing on international relations, she failed to learn much about state elections law. When election night ended with a virtual tie between George W. Bush and Gore, she was caught in a terrible dilemma because she had been playing a partisan role as one of several honorary chairs for the Bush campaign. She was seen as deeply partisan and unaware of the nuances of Florida election laws. International relations is a topic that her predecessors paid little heed and one the state Constitution did not foresee. Until Harris took office, secretaries of state viewed themselves as the keeper of the state seal and important state records, and most of all the director of state elections and corporation files. Harris, however, apparently sees herself as the Florida version of Madeleine Albright and has even appointed a director of protocol. Yep, we really needed someone to direct the protocol around this state. I could suggest a place to start, but I suspect they are not into taking advice from upstart reporters.
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Times columns today Lucy Morgan Alicia Caldwell Sandra Thompson From the Times STATE desk Lucy Morgan |
