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Democrats divisions may widenBy PETER WALLSTEN © St. Petersburg Times, published July 21, 1998 But with at least one key player planning to boycott the July 29 caucus and another challenging the presumed front-runner, things could get messier. "I think we're finding further division where we ought to be finding unity," said state Rep. Beryl Roberts-Burke of Miami, chairwoman of the Legislative Black Caucus, who said she has no plans to attend the meeting. State Rep. Les Miller, D-Tampa, said Monday he has 29 committed votes in his bid to become the new leader of the House Democrats, one more than the majority vote he would need. But Miller is being challenged by Rep. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee, who claims he has 18 votes, including the support of the Legislative Black Caucus and the party's Conservative Caucus. Each man says he can best unify the party, which has been in disarray since the Jan. 7 ouster of a black lawmaker as leader-designate in the House. Both men, who are black, want to succeed Rep. Anne Mackenzie, D-Fort Lauderdale, who abruptly announced her retirement last week. Mackenzie, who is white, had replaced Rep. Willie Logan, the black lawmaker who was ousted. Although leaders hoped next week's meeting would bring peace, Monday brought more bickering. Lawson charged that Miller was tight with the white lawmakers who ousted Logan and did not have the support of black members. He also said Miller's votes were coming from lawmakers such as outgoing Democratic Leader Buzz Ritchie, who were retiring and would not return to the House next year. He said the meeting is a setup so Miller's supporters can gather in Tallahassee while everybody else is too busy on the campaign trail. "My people won't really be at the caucus meeting," Lawson said from Las Vegas, where he and other lawmakers are attending the convention of the National Conference of State Legislatures. "We're not ready to vote." Said Ritchie, who supports Miller: "I still have a vote until November." Whoever is chosen as Democratic leader will help try to turn around the sagging fund-raising efforts for Democratic House candidates across Florida. After the elections, the leader then must plot strategy to push legislation and block some Republican initiatives. Miller said he hopes to bring unity. "I'm going to involve every aspect of the Democratic Caucus, be it black, conservative, women, or Jewish," he said.
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ALLAHASSEE -- Embroiled in disarray and racial infighting, the state House Democrats will pick a new leader next week in hopes of cleaning up the mess.
