Hillsborough Commissioner Ken Hagan's leaflet raises election campaign issue

TAMPA — A potential political opponent of Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan is making hay of a flier Hagan is handing out to county residents.

Hagan, a Republican, represents northern Hillsborough County on the commission. But he's running for a countywide seat in 2010.

His fliers are showing up in South Tampa.

One landed on the South Tampa door of City Council member Mary Mulhern, a Democrat who is considering a run against Hagan.

That prompted Mulhern's husband, marketing consultant Cameron Dilley, to send an e-mail to reporters questioning who paid for the fliers, and suggesting they're campaign pieces masquerading as community outreach.

The e-mail subject line, which misspells Hagan's name, reads "Buddy-style Hagen Fliers — Who paid?" drawing a comparison to former Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson, who featured his own image prominently on voter-education pieces paid for with federal grant money.

Those pieces are now part of an FBI investigation of Johnson's spending.

The e-mail derides Hagan for being "inaccessible and indifferent to citizen concerns" and criticizes Hagan for considering selling the county's Cone Ranch to private interests.

The flier identifies Hagan as chairman of the County Commission and includes frequently called county telephone numbers and a tear-off card soliciting opinions on transit and budget cuts.

Hagan said he cleared the pieces with the county attorney.

He said his legislative aides, family and friends — people he acknowledges might work on his campaign — are walking neighborhoods and leaving the fliers on door knobs.

Distributing the pieces countywide likely will help Hagan's campaign. And if the leaflet was paid for with campaign money, presenting it as county business would be illegal.

But Hagan said he paid about $1,000 out of his own pocket for the fliers. He said he ordered and distributed a similar piece in 2003, which was paid for with county money. He decided not to do that this time, he said.

"With the budget crisis we're in, it wouldn't be appropriate to use taxpayer dollars," he said.

Hagan said the piece is "completely constituent-service oriented."

"It's a shame that you can be criticized for doing constituent service," he said.

Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3401.