Two candidates learn on fast track

In the County Commission District 5 race, both began with no government experience.

By JEFFREY S. SOLOCHEK

© St. Petersburg Times, published October 31, 2000

When election season rolled around last spring, Hernando County Commission District 5 appeared to be incumbent Paul Sullivan's race to lose.

Neither his two Republican rivals nor the unchallenged Democratic nominee figured Sullivan would fall, although for myriad reasons they thought he should. But lose he did, leaving many voters in a quandary over which of the candidates left standing deserve their backing.

Republican William "Alonzo" Merritt and Democrat Mary Coyne Aiken have no government experience between them. They belong to few civic groups and champion only a handful of causes.

Both have said that it was months into their campaigns before they decided whether their efforts were serious.

Merritt, 53, spent the time leading to the September primary doing little more than getting his name known. He admits to having spent no time thinking about issues until he began working to win the October runoff, which he snared from Sullivan by 260 votes.

Aiken, 73, had enough petition cards to appear on the ballot before March, yet still talks about having "stumbled" into the race. She even went so far as to visit Sullivan this past weekend to apologize for being a spoiler.

If no Democrat had filed to seek the seat, the Republican primary would have been open to all voters, and, Aiken said, Sullivan probably would have won.

"I feel guilty about that," she said. "Sure, he's kind of stiff. But he's a decent man."

With the realization that one of them will be elected, the two hopefuls have become more earnest in their endeavors. Merritt has come through on his promise to research the issues he knew little about, and Aiken has dropped her joke-filled stump speech in favor of a still-lighthearted talk about matters she deems topical.

And both candidates say they offer the better option, if for no other reason than the weakness of their opponent.

"She's not really serious, I don't think, about this commission job," Merritt said of Aiken. "I'm pretty serious about this job, and I'm serious about this county. It's my county. I've seen it grow up from nothing."

Aiken suggested Merritt might not be nimble-minded enough to succeed as a commissioner.

"I said to somebody, "They better put an extra chair behind him if he wins,' " she said. "He's not stupid. He's probably extremely shrewd. But whether he'd be able to think on his feet, I don't know."

Merritt bristles at the implication that someone is pulling his strings. He says his ideas are his -- not his supporters' -- and that no one can run him.

"They have called me a good ol' boy, which I'm not because I've never asked anybody for anything," said Merritt, who lists a net worth of $440,550, including his custom-built home worth $275,000. "I got mine by my own hands."

He cites The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway as his inspiration.

The main character "never gave up. He fought and he fought. His hands were all bloody, and he fought and never gave up until he got the job done," Merritt said. "The example it gave me was don't ever give up. It will come to you."

Convincing the community that he stands for something more than the interests of Hernando Beach's fishing industry, which contributed about 40 percent of his more than $35,000 in campaign donations, has come with difficulty, though, Merritt said.

He is not a strong public speaker, stumbling over words through a Southern drawl that often makes his statements tough for some to understand. Even his prominent Brooksville relatives declined to back him at first, he said, because they wanted to make sure he was interested in government and not just politics.

But what Merritt lacks in style he more than makes up for in his honesty, said "Captain Brad" James Bradley, a leader of the Hernando Beach Marine Industry Council. Bradley, now treasurer for Merritt's campaign, said he did not know Merritt before this campaign and had not been politically active before Sullivan took actions that would hurt the fishing industry.

"I liked (Merritt's) willingness to sit down and listen to both sides," Bradley said. "That was so important to us in this industry because we had a commissioner who wouldn't even sit down and talk with us."

It was clear that Merritt didn't understand the issues or local politics, he said. "But he came from the heart, and we felt he would be fair."

Bill Cope, who has replaced ailing Joe Lentini as Merritt's campaign manager, said he, too, joined Merritt's campaign only to oppose Sullivan. Now, he said, "we work well together. It feels like family."

Each morning, Cope and Merritt discuss mail, meetings, money and other campaign matters.

Then Merritt heads out on the trail, having left his home-building business in the hands of his partner to focus on the race.

At Timber Pines last week, Merritt talked about controlling growth "before it controls us." He called for upgrades to the county comprehensive plan, improved air monitoring for mines and cars, and increased efforts to preserve the county's water.

He even flexed his newfound research, baffling some Timber Pines residents by telling them all about their walking trails, golf courses and open space, but also showing that he had learned about transportation for the disadvantaged and frontage roads.

Some of Merritt's other priorities include streamlining and improving the county's building permit process, and re-evaluating the role of the Economic Development Commission. He said he will not push to rescind the commission's ban on commercial fishing boats in residential areas.

Key to each decision, Merritt said, will be his continued research.

"I don't like being embarrassed. I'll make sure I know what people are talking about when they bring issues to me," he said. "I know enough people in this county that if I don't know the answer, I know where to go to get it."

Although Aiken has little money or name recognition -- her campaign ads even ask "Mary Who?" -- Merritt said he does not take his opponent lightly.

"I like to win," he said. "I'll work overtime to do that."

Aiken started out seeking votes with a joke and a smile. She entertained audiences with what she calls campaign "performances" that were heavy on one-liners and light on substance.

If she had one issue, it was the commission's refusal to give low-income senior citizens an additional homestead exemption of up to $25,000. They swept it under the carpet, Aiken said, and the time has come to retrieve the concept.

It hasn't cost other counties as much as once feared, she said, and it would help people who are stretching every cent to pay for food, prescription medicines and other essentials.

Otherwise, Aiken kidded about being an old lady in tennis shoes who is "extremely single," leaving her plenty of time to serve as commissioner.

"A lot of people seem to like her," Democratic activist Barbara Fudim said. "She has a good sense of humor, and she's not afraid to view her points and hear others."

As a senior citizen, she appeals to the county's largest voting bloc, added Carol Anne Solt, another Democrat. The jokes make her more accessible, Solt said.

"It doesn't mean she doesn't know the issues," she said. "There's nothing wrong with joking. It puts people at ease and lets people know you're human. She's just like everybody else."

Yet Aiken killed the one-liners for more substantial fare after she read in an Internet chat room that some residents considered her campaign as little more than "buffoonery." The comments wounded Aiken, a retired shop owner and publication designer.

"It was hurtful," she said. "I mean, buffoonery. Listen, if there's a buffoon in this race, it's not me."

She stepped up the push for the additional homestead exemption and started calling for a living wage for county employees and contractors. That program means, at a minimum, that someone working full time should never fall below the poverty line based on local measures. She began promoting a downtown parking garage, community swimming pool and the notion of self-insurance for the county if it proves cost-effective.

Above all, Aiken said, "I come in clean. I wouldn't have to recuse myself on any issue."

While Merritt has received money and support from several industries, including fishing, real estate and builders, Aiken's backing has come from former Sullivan devotees. The Democratic Party hasn't helped much, with some high-profile members actually denigrating Aiken's candidacy.

Still, she chugs along, thankful for whatever help she gets and hopeful that residents will consider her a viable candidate.

"I think I'd be as good on the board as anybody else," she said.

Campaign issues

Growth

AIKEN: Says the commission should prepare for growth by following its future land-use map and comprehensive plan, and by restricting commercialism in residentially zoned areas.

MERRITT: Says the comprehensive plan needs constant, consistent upgrading to ensure the county is ready for growth. To fit current and future needs, zoning rules may occasionally need adjusting.

Economic Development Commission

AIKEN: Says the EDC is a "boondoggle" and should be taken back in-house as a county agency; its contract with the county should be canceled.

MERRITT: The County Commission needs to place specific performance criteria on the EDC to ensure that taxpayers get what they pay for.

Taxes

AIKEN: Says seniors who qualify should get an increased homestead exemption as provided by Proposition 3, approved by Florida voters in 1998. Any other tax reductions would depend on a large surplus in the county budget.

MERRITT: Says the commission should look for ways to reduce the size and scope of government and lower the property-tax rate.

Elder services

AIKEN: Supports an additional homestead exemption for low-income seniors and a more widespread mass transit program than the one proposed by the current commission.

MERRITT: Says the commission should help lobby state and federal leaders for attention on HMO issues. Otherwise, he says, the county already provides several services to the elderly.

Code enforcement

AIKEN: Thinks the county should hire more code enforcement officers, reschedule their work week to cover weekends, and further regulate signs.

MERRITT: Says the county has a very active Code Enforcement Department that already seems to be constantly looking for ways to improve the county's appearance.

Vital statistics

NAME: Mary C. Aiken

RESIDENCE: Lives at 8245 Joel St. in Spring Hill

AGE: 73 PROFESSION: Retired, Aiken owned and operated Rags to Riches consignment shop in Spring Hill for six years. She also was a publication designer in New York.

EDUCATION: Attended Cooper Union Art School in New York, 1946-1949, and Mount Saint Mary College in New Hampshire, 1944-1946, but holds no degrees.

MEMBERSHIPS: None listed.

PERSONAL FINANCES: Aiken reports a net worth of $126,721. Her 1999 income included $10,704 in Social Security benefits and $2,369 in investment interest. Her assets included a home in Spring Hill, $48,559, and $70,662 in mutual funds, money market and banking accounts. She listed no liabilities.

FAMILY: A widow, Aiken has no children.

HOBBIES: Traveling, photography, computer graphics, sewing

CHILDHOOD AMBITION: To make a living at art

MENTORS: Walter S. Coyne, her father; Walter A. Coyne, her brother; and Michael Robinson, a no-party candidate for Hernando County sheriff.

NAME: William "Alonzo" Merritt

RESIDENCE: Lives at 3463 Amberjack Drive in Hernando Beach.

AGE: 53 PROFESSION: Merritt is a home builder for his own company, Seascape Custom Homes. He has been a self-employed home painter and remodeler for the past 16 years.

EDUCATION: Attended Murray State University 1980-1983, but did not complete degree program.

MEMBERSHIPS: Member of the First Hernando Republican Club, Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce, Hernando Builders Association, Coastal Hernando Business Association and Hernando Beach Property Owners Association.

PERSONAL FINANCES: Merritt reports a net worth of $440,550. His 1999 income included his $26,400 salary from Seascape Custom Homes. His assets included his home in Hernando Beach, valued at $275,000, other properties in Hernando Beach, valued at $258,800, two cars, a boat and banking accounts. His liabilities included a mortgage, a car lease, loans and credit card debt.

FAMILY: He married his wife, Melody, a real estate agent, in 1985, and they have two sons: Lavon, 12; and Duane, 10. He has a third son, Jacob, 19, through a previous marriage.

HOBBIES: Fishing, music, playing hearts, cooking

CHILDHOOD AMBITION: To be successful

MENTORS: Charles Sasser, Alfred McKethan. He also says Ernest Hemingway has been an inspiration.

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