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3 caught in glare of electoral dispute
By DIANE RADO © St. Petersburg Times, published November 14, 2000 TALLAHASSEE -- As early as Saturday, Bob Crawford, Katherine Harris and Clay Roberts could make history, certifying results from Florida's presidential election and triggering a victory for Vice President Al Gore or Texas Gov. George W. Bush. The world may be wondering: Who are these people? As members of Florida's Elections Canvassing Commission, they are suddenly in the spotlight, on camera before a worldwide audience. They are being criticized as cronies for the Republican Party and the Bush brothers: George W. and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. The three are being sued because they want to cut off most vote counting at 5 p.m. today -- but they say that's the law. Before all this, Crawford, Harris and Roberts were going about their state business. Crawford, 52, is Florida's elected agriculture commissioner, a longtime Democrat who irritated his own party by supporting Jeb Bush's gubernatorial election in 1998 and voting for George W. Bush last week. He was named to the canvassing commission -- at Roberts' request -- last week after Jeb Bush recused himself from the dispute. Harris, 43, is Florida's Republican secretary of state, the elected official who oversees state elections, as well as art and cultural programs. She was a state senator from Sarasota before being elected secretary of state in 1998. Her main focus since taking office in January 1999 has been on international relations. The St. Petersburg Times reported last month that she amassed more than $106,000 in travel bills -- more than any other Cabinet officer or the governor -- by traveling around the world at state expense on international trade and cultural missions. Roberts, 35, was appointed by Harris as the director of the Division of Elections in her department. He is the commission member least likely to want -- or get -- attention. A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a lawyer, Roberts formerly served as staff director of a state House Commission on Election Reform, as a senior attorney for the House Public Responsibility Council on election reform, and as a legislative analyst for the Senate's elections committee. "Talk about straight arrow -that's this guy," said Dave Mann, as assistant secretary of state. "He's the epitome of professional." Roberts said he is a registered Republican but has never been active in political campaigns. He is married to a niece of Florida State University President Sandy D'Alemberte. "I'm not about spin, I'm about doing my job," Roberts said Monday. Crawford said his role on the elections commission isn't the most difficult task he's faced.More difficult, he said,was the recent controversy over citrus canker and the removal of residents' trees, even healthy ones, to protect the state's citrus industry. "It's very personal with people. It deals with people's property," Crawford said. Of the three commission members, Crawford, a Polk County native, has had the longest political career: He was first elected to the state House in 1976 and went on to become the president of the Florida Senate before becoming agriculture commissioner. Michelle Lagos, who served as Crawford's press secretary in the Senate, said Crawford is no stranger to media attention. He had to deal with the upheaval of a special legislative session on abortion during his tenure, as well as passage of a controversial gas tax. "One of his greatest strengths was the ability to work across party lines and be impartial," Lagos said. "He is uniquely suited to be asked to straddle this situation (serving on the canvassing commission)." Florida Democratic Party spokesman Tony Welch, though, is critical of all three members of the canvassing commission, saying they want to see Bush elected president. "Don't tell me they don't have a vested interest," Welch said. Harris has been open about her support of Bush. On election night, she attended a Republican Party celebration party while votes were still coming in from around Florida. She was upset that the television networks called the race for Gore in Florida, well before most of the returns were in. Harris is a fourth-generation Floridian, the granddaughter of the late Ben Hill Griffin Jr., the citrus baron. Her net worth is more than $6.5-million, mostly due to stock in the Ben Hill Griffin agriculture and business empire.
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From the Times election desk From the AP national wire  |
