Orlando’s would-be mayors went into the final weekend before Election Day with more than $1 million in contributions among them, still duking it out on the campaign trail.
Seven of the eight candidates faced off Sunday for their final debate before Tuesday’s vote, discussing issues important to the black community at an event organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, African-American Chamber of Commerce and the Central Florida Black Caucus of Elected Officials.
The candidates, absent attorney Tico Perez, pledged to diversify city management and discussed revitalizing the Parramore neighborhood, helping create more jobs and annexing low-income neighborhoods on Orlando’s southwest side.
However, few candidates offered specifics to the approximately 100 residents who attended the debate at the Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center.
Most of the campaigning in the past few days has happened behind the scenes as spending peaked in some last-ditch efforts to sway voters perplexed by the most crowded field of mayoral candidates in Orlando history.
Beginning late in the week, voters were deluged with campaign mailers, including the race’s first negative ads. Attorney and former state Rep. Bill Sublette trashed fellow Republican Pete Barr Sr. in two separate fliers and Republican Perez in a third.
In one, he raised questions about whether Barr made money off a failed effort in 1997 to pass a sales-tax increase in Orange County. Barr says his advertising agency was simply an intermediary, spending the entire $90,000 it received on TV advertising on behalf of the group supporting the tax.
In another flier, Sublette pointed out that Perez moved into Orlando just 33 days before he filed papers to run for mayor. Perez attributes his recent address change to Hood’s sudden announcement that she would leave office before her term would have expired in 2004. On Saturday, another Sublette mailer arrived, this one touting himself as the purest Republican on the ballot.
‘IT’S CRUNCH TIME’
Television spots were curtailed Saturday, pre-empted by nonstop news of the Columbia disaster, but picked back up Sunday. Radio ads continued to air, campaign telemarketers called voters’ homes and candidates visited churches.
“What we do this weekend to get out the vote makes all the difference,” said Perez, who was not at Sunday’s debate because he was campaigning door to door. “It’s crunch time.”
The flurry of campaigning was fueled with more than $1 million, according to fund-raising reports filed at City Hall on Friday. That’s not a lot of money by today’s standards. Mayor Glenda Hood and challenger Bruce Gordy together spent more than $840,000 in 2000.
But this year’s race isn’t a normal one. Hood announced her resignation Dec. 21, and even though her departure to accept Florida’s secretary of state post had been anticipated, the timing caught people by surprise.
TRADITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS
Most candidates received money from traditional contributors such as land developers, attorneys and real-estate agents, among others.
Reports show that Dyer, one of the last candidates to enter the race, had raised the most campaign money by Friday. He had brought in $280,637, including $10,000 of his own money, according to his campaign treasurer’s report.
Perez apparently has second place in fund-raising, at $261,247. That includes $50,000 of his own money.
Barr’s latest finance report shows that he had raised $182,975, including $50,000 he contributed himself.
Wayne Rich’s campaign manager said the candidate’s fund-raising report was mailed to City Hall on Friday and would not share a copy of it with the Sentinel.
He said Rich had raised $145,245, a figure that could not be verified.
Derrick Wallace collected $82,467 toward his campaign, including $45,000 of his own money.
Sharon Leichering loaned her campaign $5,500, and brought in another $1,870 in contributions.
Alex Lamour had fueled his campaign with $3,230 — $2,600 of it from his own pocket.
Sublette’s campaign manager refused repeated requests for a copy of his fund-raising report, saying the candidate would again mail his report, as he has in all his previous campaigns. Sublette had raised $120,215 a month ago, when his previous report was filed.
Voters have been allowed to cast ballots early with the Orange County Supervisor of Elections, where completed ballots are kept sealed until the polls close Tuesday.
CHECK POLLING PLACE
The elections office at 119 W. Kaley St. will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.
On Tuesday, voters must cast ballots only at their designated polling places, which in some cases are different than they were in November. Elections officials are reminding callers that just because they have an Orlando mailing address doesn’t mean they live within city limits and can vote in the election.
“From experience, I can tell you that will be our biggest headache on Election Day,” Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles said.
