Last week, Hillsborough County Commissioner Kevin Beckner faced several days of negative stories in the press. Today, it's his District Six GOP opponent Margaret Iuculano's turn to face the heat.
Beckner admitted that his campaign office erred in accepting campaign contributions from four donors who exceeded the limit of $500. The error was noted by development consultant David Campo, who told the Tampa Tribune that Beckner angered him after leading a critical discussion about the Board of County Commissioners' Economic Prosperity Stakeholder Committee, a group that has drawn the suspicions of county observers due to the composition of its members.
But that wasn't the last of Campo's charges against the Hillsborough Democrat facing re-election in November. Last week he claimed that Beckner was responsible for more than $200,000 worth of no-bid contracts that the Children's Board of Hillsborough County awarded to Beckner's current aide and her former roommate. Beckner denied the claims.
Today, the Tribune's Mike Salinero looked at Iuculano, who denied being aware of two outstanding tax liens filed against her by the state's Department of Revenue totaling more than $17,000. The story also stated that the GOP candidate and her husband filed for bankruptcy in 2008 when a real estate deal went bad.
The Beckner campaign went further with a statement that was released Wednesday morning.