Over the opposition of party chairman Tony DiMatteo, the Pinellas REC voted narrowly last night to not allow endorsements in primary contests. It was expected that the REC would be asked to endorse Neil Brickfield, a DiMatteo ally, over Jane Gallucci in the District 1 County Commission race. But according to DiMatteo, former party chair Paul Bedinghaus and Rep. Jim Frishe argued against the general practice of endorsing in primaries.

"It's divisive," Bedinghaus told Bay Buzz today. "It's exactly what we don't need, especially this year."

When a vote came to the floor, DiMatteo said, it was 58 votes against endorsing, 51 for with 10 abstentions.

"It’s not the end of the world," DiMatteo said. "You win some, you lose some. The wins that matter come in November."

Will Van Sant, Times staff writer