When I received notice that The First Hernando Republican Club was hosting a rally in August, I marked it on my calendar as another opportunity to watch this year's crop of candidates in action. There are, after all, 15 Republicans vying for three seats on the Hernando County Commission, and it's a sure bet none of them would pass up the chance to strut their stuff to the Grand Old Party faithful without having to share the stage with their Democratic opponents.
As I examined the press release more closely, though, something struck me as odd. In addition to the candidates who are seeking partisan offices, the list of invited guests included some, but not all, candidates for the non-partisan office of School Board.
I called Anna Liisa Covell, who e-mailed the notice to the Times, and inquired why School Board candidates Danny Dunn, Pat Fagan and Linda Prescott were not invited. Covell explained they were purposely omitted because they all are registered Democrats or have no party affiliation. Providing a forum for them at a club meeting was a violation of the charter granted by the Republican Party of Florida, she said.
So, I asked a couple of School Board candidates if it bothered them that the Republican club was, by virtue of their selective invites, introducing partisan politics into non-partisan races.
Candidate Dunn, the 18-year-old who is running as a no-party candidate against incumbent Jim Malcolm demurred, saying only that he held no ill will but wished he could address the audience because "I think they would agree with what I have to say."
Malcolm, a registered Republican, had more to say. "I was not aware that they did not invite my opponent. It doesn't seem fair to (Dunn) to shut him out just because he's not a Republican. This is a non-partisan race."
The next day, Friday, I received a call from Covell, who said the club's leadership had reconsidered their decision and now planned to invite all the School Board candidates, regardless of their party affiliation. Covell also said that even though doing so is a violation of party rules that could result in a two-year revocation of the club's charter, "the board members wanted to do the right thing."
Good for her! And good for her colleagues on The First Hernando Republican Club board! They are doing the right thing, even under the threat of being sanctioned because of some dogmatic rules created by people who don't even live here.
And good for Malcolm, too, who I later learned had telephoned Covell and told her that if Dunn wasn't invited, he would attend the rally, but would not speak. His stand was both gracious and courageous.
One thing the non-Republican non-partisans should know, though: After they climb down off the stump that night, Covell said they will be asked to vacate the premises while the club continues its private rally.
Hey, not all victories are total.
Camera serves as microscope
A camera-shy politician is about as rare as snow in Florida, but it can happen.
Commissioner Rob Schenck has instructed Hernando County Government Broadcasting workers to not show any close-ups of him during commission meetings.
This edict has been in place for several months, and viewers of Brighthouse Cable Channel 19 have noticed. Lacking an explanation for why the camera never focuses on him, some folks began to speculate.
One theory that was offered on a Brooksville talk radio show was that it was some sort of conspiracy by Democrats to undermine Schenck, who was the only Republican on the board before Tom Mylander was appointed a few months ago to fill the unexpired term of the late Betty Whitehouse.
Hearing that theory, Schenck called the station and set the record straight. He was not on camera because he did not want to be. Period.
Last week, I pressed Schenck for the reasoning behind his odd request. He still didn't shed much light on the subject.
"Some people told me that they thought others (commissioners) might be taking advantage of the medium and I didn't want anyone to think I was doing that," he said.
He went on to say that he thought it "was more important for the camera to show the whole board" from a panorama camera angle while discussion takes place.
I disagree. Every commissioner, just like every School Board member, should be under the same microscope. It helps viewers to see their elected officials' facial expressions when they are talking. All sorts of emotions are conveyed, including anger, frustration, humor and confusion.
Besides, it gives residents an edge when they spot a politician in the aisle at the grocery store and they want to get something off their chests.
Schenck says he's "not trying to get out of anything," and that he finds it "very interesting that people have even noticed" he's not on camera. He also said he would rescind his orders "if there's some great community outcry to see my face."
Outcry or not, he ought to reconsider. It's one more way for him to be accountable to the taxpayers whose hard-earned money, by the way, paid for the cameras in the first place.
Maybe Schenck could steal Gloria Swanson's final words from the 1950 movie classic Sunset Boulevard: "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."
