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The victors in the Hillsborough state attorney race wake up strategizing.
By GRAHAM BRINK
© St. Petersburg Times, published September 7, 2000
TAMPA -- Robert Shimberg stood juggling three ringing phones Wednesday afternoon, a day after winning the Democratic primary in the race for Hillsborough state attorney.
Shimberg and his Republican counterpart, Mark Ober, hit the campaign trail early Wednesday morning, shaking off the effects of their victory parties the night before. They were planning strategy, meeting new volunteers and restocking their campaign war chests.
And both had dozens of congratulatory phone messages to return.
"There's no rest for the weary," Shimberg said from the end of one of those phones. "We cannot stop now."
Ober also doesn't see much time to slow down in the next eight weeks.
"That's not really an option if you want to win," he said. "It's go, go, go." The winner of the Nov. 7 general election will replace Jack Rudy, the interim state attorney who took over after Harry Lee Coe killed himself in July.
The state attorney in Hillsborough serves a four-year term and oversees a staff of about 300 and a $19-million budget.
Shimberg's three children were up early and excited to see Dad's photograph on the front page of the newspaper. He'll spend the rest of the week refocusing his campaign, before a quick family getaway to Walt Disney World.
Shimberg, 38, intends to stick to the message that allowed him to easily beat his opponent, Tampa attorney Jonathan Alpert. The office needs a fresh face, one that comes with integrity, experience and leadership, he emphasizes.
He won't change the message now that he needs to attract support from the total pool of registered voters, not just Democrats. He is considering different strategies for courting a bipartisan audience, but more of his polished TV commercials will be in the mix.
Unlike the other candidates, Shimberg steered clear of negative advertising and questionable tactics. Shimberg agreed that Ober would likely be a tougher opponent than Alpert, but still vowed to keep his message positive.
"People want to hear my take on the issues," Shimberg said. "That's the message I intend to stick with."
Alpert, 55, had no regrets about his campaign and cheerfully threw all his support behind Shimberg. He said that what some people called nasty tactics he called part of the political gantlet any candidate must survive. He was happy to have had a chance to get his views across and will now slip back into his private practice.
"I think it was a good campaign that will strengthen (Shimberg) for the general election," Alpert said.
Like Shimberg, Ober will concentrate on raising the money he needs to get his message out. They both raised well over $100,000 for the primary, the vast majority of which they spent in winning. Ober also trounced his opponent, Bill Jennings, with 59 percent of the vote.
Contributions were already coming in Wednesday, said Ober, who did not know how much money he would need to run his race. He acknowledged that Shimberg would likely be a more formidable opponent.
"It doesn't make a difference who I run against," said Ober, 49. "I will still emphasize my experience and the way I would handle the office."
With more registered Democrats than Republicans in the county, Ober said he will need to attract some crossover voters to defeat Shimberg. Ober spent a lot of money in the primary on direct mail that targeted Republicans with a history of voting. He envisions spending more money on TV ads this time around to target a broader audience.
Jennings, who resigned from the Hillsborough Public Defender's Office to run his campaign, said he will take a few days off before deciding his next career move. He was proud of his campaign and thought his team had executed the plan it set out to. Much of Jennings' financial support dried up after the Times ran an article in April outlining allegations that he had sexually harassed a female detective in Polk County. Ober went on to raise five times as much money as Jennings.
"We didn't . . .do anything that I'd change," Jennings said. "In every race, there are always winners and losers."
- Graham Brink can be reached at (813) 226-3365 or brink@sptimes.com.