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Tax victor faces new big hurdleBy JOSH ZIMMER © St. Petersburg Times, published October 5, 2000 CRYSTAL RIVER -- Lee Cooper had reason to sleep comfortably Tuesday night. The political neophyte coasted to victory in the Democratic runoff for tax collector, easily defeating former Crystal River City Council member Richard Brady with 69 percent of the vote. Now Cooper, 53, faces a powerful opponent in Republican Janice Warren, who has lived in Citrus for two decades. Warren won the four-candidate GOP primary outright in September. Cooper took 42 percent of the vote in that contest, forcing him to compete in the runoff with Brady. A certified public accountant who specializes in recouping tax overcharges by vendors and government, Cooper said he believes he is qualified to fill the shoes of longtime Tax Collector Norine Gilstrap, who is retiring after 26 years in office. One of Cooper's main proposals is to invest millions of dollars in taxes and fees with the Florida State Board of Administration, which generally pays higher interest rates than banks. Gilstrap always deposited money in local bank branches. Warren has not proposed as many changes to current operations. Cooper said his campaign blitzed the county with a get-out-the-vote effort involving 30 to 40 volunteers manning telephones during the past two weeks. Going into the runoff, Cooper had been concerned about low voter turnout. "We had a tremendous effort," he said as tears welled up in his eyes after hearing the results. Warren, 48, could not be reached for comment. The former SunTrust vice president is well known throughout Citrus for her years of community activisim and service with Citrus 20/20, which she now leads. Cooper said he considers Warren's name recognition her biggest asset. When asked about her strengths as a candidate before the runoff, Warren did not downplay the importance of having been a high-profile figure. "Because of the role I played with the bank ... and the role in leadership positions ... you have an opportunity to assist a lot of people," she said. "I think I've been very, very fortunate to meet many people who've come to call Citrus County home." By contrast, Cooper is a new face on the horizon. He moved to Crystal River only three years ago and faced a runoff opponent with much better name recognition. But like Warren, he campaigned hard and advertised aggressively, making sure as many people as possible saw his face. Both have spent liberally: Warren nearly $27,000 and Cooper nearly $21,000, according to the latest campaign finance reports. Warren blanketed the county with mailings, sending fliers to every household where a registered Republican lived. Cooper put his picture on billboards along major roads, such as State Road 44. Now, both candidates are wondering where they will get the money to run their general election campaigns. Warren has been able to pull in significant outside contributions. Since his strong primary performance, Cooper has been soliciting, and receiving, donations. The winner will serve a four-year term and earn a starting salary of $98,910.
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