 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Anger, one-liners mark election
By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK © St. Petersburg Times, published October 8, 2000 With $31,000 of campaign advertising and a widely publicized primary win behind him, William "Alonzo" Merritt seems to have momentum on his side going into the Nov. 7 general election. His opponent for a County Commission seat, 73-year-old Democrat Mary Coyne Aiken, has collected only two contributions and gained little publicity through news reports or paid ads. Even so, there's just something about Mary that has the Merritt campaign in knots. "Mrs. Aiken is a nice lady. She wants the same things that Alonzo Merritt wants, and we're going to say that," said Joe Lentini, a key Merritt adviser. "But it's going to be a tough campaign. How do you fight a little old lady? And she's funny." In forums throughout the county, Aiken has become the darling of the campaign season with speeches filled with salty comments, occasional swearing and numerous one-liners that resemble comedy more than policy. Where other candidates win polite applause, Aiken gets laughs, cheers and a long-lasting murmur of people repeating the lines they can't believe they just heard. Here's a recent favorite: "I realize the commission's problems are vast. Sometimes I wish their solutions weren't half-vast." Speaking to the African-American Club on Thursday, Aiken compared her meager campaign to Merritt's more high-profile effort. "I find myself in a Samson and Delilah situation," said Aiken, who stood 5-foot-3 beside her burly 6-foot opponent. The room burst into hysterics. "No, not that one. That was a Freudian slip. I meant David and Goliath," she shouted, leaving all to wonder whether she planned the joke. She plays up the "little old lady" concept, and even has adopted as her slogan "Send a Senior to the Board of County Commissioners." The question is, can the relatively unknown Aiken turn her amusing, shoestring first effort for votes into a win? To many observers, the answer appears to be a qualified "Yes." Backers of incumbent Paul Sullivan's failed re-election bid have approached Aiken offering their support, although Sullivan himself has stopped short of endorsing her. The county Democratic Executive Committee, which did not field a candidate to run against Sullivan, called Aiken the day after Merritt won seeking an audience with her. "She can be a very formidable candidate if she works at it," Democratic Chairman Al Jenkins said. "She can really pull this out because all the people that voted for Paul Sullivan are very mad with Merritt. That and straight Democrats she can win. I can see that very readily." But Aiken, a retired magazine designer and former owner of Rags to Riches consignment shop, needs to "carry the ball," Jenkins said. She needs to talk about serious issues rather than constantly trying to entertain, he said. Aiken wasn't so sure she wanted to go that route. She noted that at the several political "dog and pony shows" around the county, other politicians have told her she was wasting time looking for laughs. Regular people, on the other hand, thank her for bringing the human touch to an otherwise dull event. "I like being my own person," Aiken said. "I could probably tap dance around Alonzo because of my fast little tongue." And it's not as if she has no topical matters to discuss, she said. Aiken supports offering an additional homestead exemption to low-income senior citizens and wants to implement a "living wage" for county employees and contractors. She also has proposed building a parking garage in downtown Brooksville with a swimming pool at the top, and opposed spending money so out-of-town firms can conduct studies. She calls herself a voice for the seniors and promises not to pander to their fears. "The people have stood up, and I have been right next to them," said Aiken, who has lived in Spring Hill for 15 years. Yet she deemed the commission's attempts to bring HMOs back to Hernando unnecessary and termed the county petitions "a bunch of crap." State and federal officials, who are responsible for the decision, are taking care of the matter, Aiken said. She acknowledged the need to protect water resources, but added that she doesn't know the answers and she does not want to offer "threadbare rhetoric" as other candidates have done. If such items come to the commission, Aiken said, she will listen to other commissioners, residents and staff members, and then help craft the best answer for Hernando County. "I want to be effective. I want to get along. And I want to do things that make sense," Aiken said. "I think my job would be to set an impetus and say (to get things done) by such and such a date. . . . I don't want people to scurry around getting information without doing anything about it." Most important, Aiken said, she wants to bring empathy and caring back to a commission that seems to have been haughty to the people who elected its members. Her campaign shtick is part of that. Merritt admitted that Aiken's charm could win the day. Even his kids "love her to death," he said. "There's no way we're going to fight," Merritt said, adding that he planned to focus on his qualifications and his issues. "The whole thing I'm going to do from here on out is what's good for the taxpayers of this county." And Aiken, who calls Merritt "a diamond in the rough," said she plans simply to be herself. "It's kind of exciting," she said. "I think if I were a commissioner, I'd be a damn good commissioner."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
|
