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Phone calls challenged in state attorney race
By ANGELA MOORE © St. Petersburg Times, published September 4, 2000 TAMPA -- Supporters of Robert Shimberg, a Democratic candidate for state attorney in Hillsborough, were indignant Sunday afternoon. Just two days before Tuesday's primary election when Democrats will choose between Shimberg and attorney Jonathan Alpert, those in Shimberg's camp were unnerved by a scripted phone call from Alpert's campaign. The message said: "Jonathan Alpert is the only candidate who has been endorsed by law enforcement. He's also been endorsed by the St. Petersburg Times. . . . Jonathan Alpert will have the courage to prosecute criminals whether they wear a ski mask or a business suit." Tampa City Council member Bob Buckhorn, an avid Shimberg supporter, heard the message on his answering machine Sunday afternoon. "I was astounded because I knew it wasn't true," Buckhorn said. Buckhorn and other Shimberg supporters who called the Times on Sunday said the message couldn't be true -- neither the Tampa chapter of the Police Benevolent Association nor the Sheriff's Office had endorsed any of the candidates in Tuesday's primary. Indeed, they haven't, Alpert said Sunday. His endorsement comes from the Hillsborough chapter of the Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers. In a letter dated Aug. 28, Tampa police Lt. Marion Lewis, the president of ABLE, offers his group's endorsement and authorizes Alpert to use the group's name in advertisements. But if Alpert had permission to use ABLE's name, why didn't he? Why did he use a vague term like "law enforcement?" "There isn't time to say everything," Alpert said. "A 30-second script was all we could afford. . . . I'm proud to have their endorsement, and I'm very proud of both the African-American community's support of my campaign and the widespread support of many people." If anyone had a question about whom the ad referred to, Alpert said, they should have called him and asked. "My number's in the book." But Shimberg wasn't buying Alpert's explanation. "I think it's misleading and it's consistent with the way he's run his campaign," Shimberg said. "It clearly implies law enforcement as a whole. If he's got their endorsement, why not identify them? "It should be an interesting couple of days. The election's not till Tuesday, you know."
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From the Times |
