Firefighters Back McCallum-Sorta
Democrat Liz McCallum announced the endorsement of the Pinellas County Council of Firefighters. Maybe that will tamp down talk that former USF St. Pete CEO Bill Heller is a shoe to win the Democratic nomination to succeed Frank Farkas in House District 52.
McCallum also said she qualified for the ballot by petition earlier than expected and that she's opening a campaign officer much sooner than planned. "We had to open up early - we needed extra space for all the volunteers to began working,'' she said in a statement.
UPDATE: That endorsement is not so clear cut. Winnie Newton, president of the St Petersburg Association of Firefighters, said members interviewed Heller but that he told them at the time he hadn't decided whether he would get in the race.
Said Newton: We didn't choose her over Bill Heller. .. He did very well in the interview process and was very well received. But we couldn't consider him. How do you endorse someone who hasn't decided if they're going to run or not.''
McCallum also said she qualified for the ballot by petition earlier than expected and that she's opening a campaign officer much sooner than planned. "We had to open up early - we needed extra space for all the volunteers to began working,'' she said in a statement.
UPDATE: That endorsement is not so clear cut. Winnie Newton, president of the St Petersburg Association of Firefighters, said members interviewed Heller but that he told them at the time he hadn't decided whether he would get in the race.
Said Newton: We didn't choose her over Bill Heller. .. He did very well in the interview process and was very well received. But we couldn't consider him. How do you endorse someone who hasn't decided if they're going to run or not.''
37 Comments:
At 3:52 PM, June 16, 2006, Peter said…
According to one survey, the endorsement of the firefighters matters more to voters than any other. I don't know why that's true, but it is.
This is another major endorsement for Liz -- ine that both Cappelli and Heller wanted. And for the firefighters to endorse the D over the R indicates they know what we know: this seat is going back to the Dems.
For Liz, that's the teachers, the firefighters, the unions, the lawyers, the women's groups.
But Bill Heller is a shoe-in because he has Rene Flowers. And he endorsed Charlie Crist and has been a D for a few months.
At 4:05 PM, June 16, 2006, jpublic said…
Well, well, well… it seems that McCallum has a bit of an edge over this Heller guy. Hmmmm, I wonder why.
Maybe because all those elected Pinellas D’s… err.. R’s in drag… have been exposed for what they really are. Games up boys… get ready for the outing of your life!
Well done McCallum, well done.
At 5:17 PM, June 16, 2006, Campaign Manager said…
Nevertheless, McCallum seems to have jumped the gun a little on broadcasting this endorsement.
Firefighters, as a group, have incredibly high favorables - especially post 9/11 - which is why their endorsement means so much.
In California, the anger firefighters had towards Schwarzenegger after he tried to cut survivors' benefits for their families is one of the main reasons Schwarzenegger's ballot initiatives went down last year
At 8:52 PM, June 16, 2006, Blue Dog DLC said…
LOL - one again JPublic is exposed for not knowing what the hell he's babbling about.
McCallum only got the endorsement because Heller hadn't made a final to decision to run when the firefighters were interviewing.
But by all means, Jpublic, keep babbling nonsense in the wind...it's entertaining, at least.
At 10:08 PM, June 16, 2006, PinellasPol said…
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 10:20 PM, June 16, 2006, TampaBayDem said…
The real story here is that many of the unions have done themselves a disservice not just here but in other races in the state. Why on earth would you start issuing endorsements this far in advance of qualifying?
I think we're going to see several of the groups being touted as solidly behind Liz issue co-endorsements (at least) in the next few weeks. All that awkwardness could have been avoided if they'd just waited to see whether a more credible candidate was going to enter the race. Getting endorsed because you're the only option doesn't translate into real support.
At 10:39 PM, June 16, 2006, tampad said…
Peter and Liz trying to pull a fast one. Don't expect it will be the last time.
At 12:22 AM, June 17, 2006, Peter said…
This post has been removed by the author.
At 8:17 AM, June 17, 2006, DerekTNG said…
Yes, let's all make Peter the issue. Can't we leave the guy alone?
It's really sad when a person can't even express an opinion. If you disagree with Peter's remarks, disagree with them. Same with mine. But why do you have to go after someone personally?
Peter at a minimum gets credit for posting with his real name. Thank you, Peter.
This story is about McCallum and Heller not Peter. Geez. McCallum got the endorsement. Good for her. Let's get on with it and leave the non-candidates out of it. What do you say?
At 9:10 AM, June 17, 2006, tampad said…
I agree this should be about the candidates and in this case McCallum trying to boost her campaign with a hollow endorsement. The facts now indicate she was endorsed only because Heller was not a declared candidate at the time. How sad to trumpet an endorsement like that and to try to make it more than it is. If I were the local firefighters I would immediately consider pulling the endorsement or co-endorsing Heller. Integrity should be an issue in every campaign. And this raise serious questions about McCallum.
At 10:14 AM, June 17, 2006, Peter said…
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 10:18 AM, June 17, 2006, TB Blue Dog said…
The union has the right to switch the endorsed candidate in any race.
And Peter, he's not a shoe-in because Rene Flowers endorsed him, he's a shoe-in because every other Democrat except Frank Peterman endorsed him.
At 10:29 AM, June 17, 2006, chriseaton said…
Ok i am back i would like to point out a few things. First these endorsements are premature...to endorse prior to the filing deadline is ridiculous and does a disservice to the union members. The "endorsement" of the firefighters is hardly worth bragging about at this point and in all likelihood the firefighters will at minimum co-endorse. The teachers will support Heller...he is an educator, a union member and has done much to insure that teachers are paid more! The union will revisit that endorsement or at least they should and if they don't teachers will support Heller.
Yes McCallum's relationship with Peter is an issue. Whether or not Peter has made restitution to those who hired him and trusted him i cannot say, but he has so dminished his reputation and has injured people that for McCallum to be any association with him professionally calls into question her judgement.
I realize i put myself out there for attack, but i have seen the inside of much of this. I know what is true on these blogs and what is not. I know the attacking that went on, i know the misrepresentations that were made, and i know the bold face lies that were told to my face. That may be politics, but it is not type of representative that i want see in my community.
i want to vote for a person i can respect, even when i disagree with them. I want to vote for a person who has ethics and shoots it straight with folks. Having said that my check this week is an indication of who i am supporting in this democratic primary and who i will work hard for and who, in the end, will win.
At 11:33 AM, June 17, 2006, Peter said…
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 12:23 PM, June 17, 2006, jpublic said…
blue…
A bit harsh, don’t you think? And a bit premature as well.
Granted, my praise for McCallum’s endorsement can be considered premature “NOW”… but not at the time of the release.
Quite to the contrary, your condemnation of me “NOW”… in the face of uncertainty is even more premature.
Chris,
There is no question that your support of Heller over McCallum has its foundation in your personal issues with McCallum. You are far too intelligent to assume we would believe otherwise. So in effect, it’s a wash for you.
OK, now… nobody even knows Peter or his problems. Nobody, except politicians and politicos. The general public knows no more about Peter than their presumed level of knowledge of Heller.
And due respects Chris, “The teachers will support Heller...he is an educator, a union member and has done much to insure that teachers are paid more!”… “HAS DONE…” Please… If you, or Heller can get any teacher “Non-paid for or politically motivate” to make that statement publicly… I will bow to you in public.
I will give you this, and to prove it’s only discussion thread and not personal… I couldn’t agree with you more on this statement of yours, and it bears repeating…
“i want to vote for a person i can respect, even when i disagree with them. I want to vote for a person who has ethics and shoots it straight with folks.”
At 12:24 PM, June 17, 2006, Peter said…
Chris:
Obviously, I disagree with you. What isn't obvious to me is why you want to make this personal about me. I understand you have differences with Liz, but to criticize her for knowing me is ridiculous. I've worked for most of the elected officials/candidates running in our area and so to question Liz means to question all of them.
As for your point that belittles endorsements, I think that was like one of your previous posts that dismissed walking door to door. You once said on these boards that you didn't know why you had lost twice before. Not to be mean, but ignoring endorsements and walking may have been part of the reason why.
To dismiss the firefighters endorsement is foolish. Since 9/11, their endorsement means more to voters than any other. Even if this becomes a co-endorsement, that would be great for our party because the GOP has had their support before. I saw in Frank's race against you and Margo how much that support means; the firefighters are great on the ground, putting up signs, walking, etc.
As for the teachers support, that endorsement remains firmly for Liz. It has been re-confirmed, etc. She has received money from the Tiger PACs throughout the state. I am sorry Chris, but I don't think you know what you are talking about on this issue.
Liz is winning these endorsements because they are not blinded by an Old Northeast perspective; they want to back a winner and that will be Liz.
At 12:54 PM, June 17, 2006, chriseaton said…
FYI my support of Heller over McCallum is because he is better for the district. He will provide better represenation and will go in as a leader. Whoever the Governor is this is a candidate who knows them all. He is well respected in the community, he knows lots of people and he can bring lots of people together to address issues.
Sure i have some personal gripes about Liz, but all those are related to my interactions with her in the political arena. Any conversation with her that i have had in the context of running for office, so i am not that i would list that as personal.
Anyone who really knows me knows that i care first and foremost about the quality of the people we elect. I look for character and i look for agreement on issues...when those two intersect well then that is the person.
Peter get your facts right. i have never stated in this blog that i do not know why i lost. I also had endoresements on both occassions and did not take the interview process lightly and in both elections i out walked my opponents and in both had much larger and aggressive ground teams. those are facts.
This blog is not about you or I, but these candidates have had interactions with us and therefore those interactions and those alliances are pertinent.
At 1:07 PM, June 17, 2006, Peter said…
Chris: You have said that you don't understand how you lost. Just as you have claimed to be "Mr. St. Pete", that was the best one. And that's a straight lie if you think you had a more aggressive ground game than Farkas. Yes, you did have a nice organization, but nothing compared to what Frank had in 2002. You certainly did not outwalk him; although you have said on this blog that you don't think walking is that big of a deal.
At 1:40 PM, June 17, 2006, midtown moderate said…
"he's a shoe-in because every other Democrat except Frank Peterman endorsed him."
I though I heard even Peterman endorsed Heller.
At 2:33 PM, June 17, 2006, TampaBayDem said…
Peterman did endorse Heller. He was endorsed by every elected Dem except Earnest Williams and Ken Welch (who is prohibited from doing so because he's on the canvassing board). That's unprecedented.
By the way, JPublic, it is, in fact, true that every teacher in Pinellas County is paid more because of Bill Heller. He spearheaded the county-wide initiative to fund an increase in teacher pay that passed by more than 65%. He's also served as a negotiator in the collective bargaining process. So, yeah, I'm pretty sure there are plenty of teachers who personally know what Bill has done for them and will spread the word and support him regardless of whether the union reconsiders their endorsement. Besides, I'd willingly put money on them reconsidering.
At 2:44 PM, June 17, 2006, Peter said…
Tampabaydem, you know I'm a betting man, so what's the wager? I'm willing to bet that Liz keeps the teachers union endorsement.
They know who can win this election. Liz can beat Cappelli, Heller cannot.
At 4:56 PM, June 17, 2006, TB Blue Dog said…
Come on now, the only way for Liz to keep the PCTA-PESPA endorsement is to throw hookers through Jade Moore's window. Heller will get the endorsement as actually spearheading an initiative to -raise- taxes to get teachers a pay raise they would not otherwise receive.
At 11:21 PM, June 17, 2006, Peter said…
Liz already has the endorsement and is keeping it.
At 12:12 AM, June 18, 2006, PinellasPol said…
I'll take the bet too. Forget the hookers, she can give him five rounds at Black Diamond and it won't be enough. There is just no way they fail to endorse a guy who is a member of the union and has done as much for educators as Heller has.
And after she's misrepresented the firefighters endorsement, they should seriously consider yanking that one too. Have some integrity, Liz. If your grassroots organization is as fabulous as you claim ("we needed a bigger office to house all the volunteers!!"), then why do you need to exaggerate your endorsements? Looking a bit desperate, my dear.
At 12:15 AM, June 18, 2006, DerekTNG said…
I say again, isn't Bill Heller 70?
This much excitement over a 70 year old?
Who is he? Bill Young? Bob Graham? Shouldn't we wait until he at least qualifies? Or, I don't know, gets at least one vote?
You'd think Lawton Chiles had been born again over there in St. Pete.
I'm sure he's a nice guy. But a dose of reality please. I beg you.
At 12:25 AM, June 18, 2006, PinellasPol said…
Derek -- Trust me on this one. The guy is remarkable. He's the best candidate the Dems have offered up in an open seat in years. He might be 70 years old but he will outwork anybody. Remember, he still holds down a full-time teaching/research position and serves actively on tons of civic boards -- it's not like he's coming out of retirement to run this race. Enough with the age thing. How about you meet the guy or look into his background a bit before you decide his age is such a factor? Or at least call someone in St. Pete and ask them. (Someone objective, as in not Schorsch...)
At 9:48 AM, June 18, 2006, Peter said…
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 9:51 AM, June 18, 2006, Peter said…
And it's not that he's 71 (well, excpet that he'd be 79 at the end of his term) that's the biggest concern, it's that there is no difference between Heller and Cappelli. Angelo will take out Heller. Damn it, I know this seat and this district. No one else on this board has worked this race -- and won -- so that is all the objectivity I need.
If you want to take me up on the bet, email me at peter@pscreative.net and let me know the wager.
At 1:20 PM, June 18, 2006, krs2 said…
Now Mr. Heller is 71? Last week you said he was 70. Ageism is not an attractive quality Mr. Shorsch.
At 1:41 PM, June 18, 2006, eagleskin said…
All you conventional wise guys are out of touch. People have had enough. The annointing of candidates by the Democratic (or Republican) aristocracy in this state will not be enough this year. Voters are looking for candidates willing to work hard for them and for their vote -- like qualifying by petition instead of paying their way.
It's a year for insurgent candidates. While Bill Heller has been a positive force in this community on many fronts, he's antered a new arena -- partisan politics -- which ain't always "yacht club" polite! How is he going to justify switching back and forth from no-party to Democrat during every election cycle in order to vote in the primary? His no-party designation matters only to the Republicans who control so much of the power in this county and who are better than the Dems at punishing those of a different party and favoring those of their own. They "get" party loyalty. How is he going to explain that to the Democrats he now wants to support him?
At 3:33 PM, June 18, 2006, feducator said…
eagle ?
who are these insurgent candidates ?
who puts the seal of "outsider" on a candidate ?
If I want to run this year and file in July, is that ok with you or should I burn my bra in front of city hall to prove that I am a non-annointed outsider ?
At 3:46 PM, June 18, 2006, Peter said…
I hate old people. I am an ageist!
At 7:21 PM, June 18, 2006, observer said…
This post has been removed by the author.
At 7:22 PM, June 18, 2006, krs2 said…
Well then lets all be ageists Mr. Scorsch. I question Ms. McCallum's youth and immaturity. I met during the municipal elections and she seemed unsophisticated and a bit odd. But its not for me to judge. That is up to the voters.
At 10:18 PM, June 18, 2006, Wally said…
I agree that Heller's age is not such a big deal (McCallum's isn't, either). What is a big deal is the simple fact that nobody knew IF he was running for the longest time, and still nobody knows why. And, like Peter Scorsch mentions, he's been a "Democrat" for the last thirty-four seconds. Nothing about him appeals to Democratic primary voters - and the diehards are, indeed, the only ones that show up.
I think this news about the firefighters is better for Liz than the story implies. He may have made an excellent impression - the fact that nobody could take away whether or not he was a real, functional candidate hurt him here, it has been hurting him and it will continue to up through and into the primary. There he will pay for it, I think, by being shown the door.
At 6:59 AM, June 19, 2006, Peter said…
Observer: That's just pure slander, so I won't even address it. If you have some facts that you want share, we'll listen then.
How am I smearing Heller about his age? Sure, it's a two year term, but to be effective you need to be there for all four two-year terms. That would put Heller at 79. That's as old as Reagan was. Just what I want to represent St. Pete -- the oldest member of the Legislature. Seriously, I don't think Heller would serve the whole 8 years. His entire candidacy reminds me of Don Sullivan's run a few years ago.
KRS2: Please be against youth. It's just that the next speaker is, what, 34. Tallahassee is a young person's world and Heller won't fit in there. Again, I think of Sullivan or even Sheriff Rice. Good people, who had good careers, but the House is not someplace you spend your golden years.
At 8:42 AM, June 21, 2006, Peter said…
Anyone know when the firefighters are going to take back their endorsement of Liz? I've been waiting...after all, credible posters on this blog said it was going to happen.
Post a Comment
<< Home