We're more than half a year away until the November elections, but some candidates are itching to engage in combat right now.
Last week former Dunedin Mayor Bob Hackworth, a former Republican who turned Democrat in 2008 and is now running for a seat on the Pinellas County Commission, blasted the incumbent in the race Susan Latvala (who is facing a GOP primary challenge against former Tarpon Springs Mayor Beverly Billiris, Ray Brooks and Carl Folkman).
After Latvala announced her first quarter fundraising totals, Hackworth charged that a majority of that money raised came from developers, contractors, corporations and political action committees, and said that "this raises the perception of who Susan Latvala is really serving on the Commission."
Hackworth went on to say that Latvala had apparently forgotten the anger from the Jim Smith land deal scandal, adding,
Latvala's report shows a $1,000 contribution from the fired Pinellas County Attorney (Susan Churuti) in that land deal scandal and her husband, a $500 contribution from the current Property Tax Appriaser's (Pam Dubov) husband, contribution from two other current county Constitutional officers whose budget the Commission will set this summer, as well as numerous checks from developers and contractors with pending business before the commission"
