We may have highlighted the comical infighting of the Hillsborough Democrats last year, but the chairmen of the Pinellas Hillsborough and Democratic parties are leading the balloting for "Most Loathed" in 2006.
Start with Tony "The Tiger" DiMatteo at the Pinellas GOP. This tough-talking New Yorker has been bold in taking sides early in primary races, something that can help create stronger candidates at the cost of intraparty fighting. Now, some in the GOP are upset with DiMatteo after the Republican Executive Committee failed last night to endorse Susan Bedinghaus for judge. She is the wife of former Pinellas GOP chief Paul Bedinghaus.
The Pinellas group seems equally split between those who are very happy to see the Bedinghaus' fall on their face in last night's vote and Bedinghaus supporters. (Susan got 52 votes from the committee, short of the needed 79 for endorsement.) Others support the longtime chariman and his wife and are venting their anger over at The Buzz.
At the Pinellas Democratic Party, Ed Helm is tearing it up as well. He immediately changed the locks on the doors after his election earlier this month; he also replaced some party positions so quickly that even some of his supporters are complaining. It also didn't help that his first action was to bring in his mayoral campaign guru, Tallahassee's Jon Ausman, to meet with his slate of candidates.
The real test for Helm is in November, when his party could pick up some seats in Pinellas. But look for the Holy War between the Helmites and Helm-haters to come to a head earlier, in the Democratic primaries for county commission (between incumbent Calvin Harris and Helmite Norm Roche) and for Florida House (between Liz McCallum and the un-Helmian Bill Heller.)
This article appears in Aug 9-15, 2006.