Ocala Star-Banner
Published: June 17, 2007

GOP mailer rips Senate candidate on tax vote

BY FRED HIERS

OCALA - If Suzan Franks and the Democratic Party want to challenge Charlie Dean's record, they have plenty of material to review. He was Citrus County's sheriff for 16 years and a state lawmaker for the past five years.

But Franks has a voting record of her own - from New Hampshire. And the Florida Republican Party has wasted no time letting voters know about it.

In at least two mailers, the party is honing in on the one issue that is a death knell in Florida politics: a state income tax.

In 1999, while a member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, Franks supported a state income tax to provide an estimated $825 million the state would need for its education system.

"Now Franks has brought her tax and spend policies to Florida," one Republican postcard reads. "She supported a state income tax, now she wants us to support her. Who does she think she's fooling?"

Franks says the ad is misleading - both about the New Hampshire vote and her plans, if elected on June 26. She doesn't support a state income tax in Florida.

"Absolutely not. Florida doesn't need it. The people are opposed to it," she said. "Even before the negative mailer went out, I said that. I've stated it over and over again."

FUNDING ISSUE
In 1998, the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled the state's funding mechanism to pay for education was unconstitutional. As part of a decades-long lawsuit between the governor and school districts, the state's high court determined that New Hampshire towns were unfairly setting property taxes to fund education. Tax rates in some areas were as much as four time higher than in others.

The New Hampshire court ruled the Legislature had to create another funding mechanism.

Then-Gov. Jeanne Shaheen formed a study commission. Alternatives included establishing a sales tax, imposing a state income tax, or allowing computerized slot machines, with some money going toward education.

The New Hampshire House passed a state income tax. Franks, a Democrat, supported the measure. So did some Republicans. But it was was defeated in the Senate.

New Hampshire continues to fund its schools with an altered property tax scheme, but lawsuits continue.

"It was a very serious situation. It was the most difficult decision in my eight years as a legislator," Franks recalled.

"We were faced with a situation where we had no funding mechanism. We weren't going to have any public schools," she said.

GOP POSITION
Florida Republican Party spokeswoman Erin VanSickle said the ads, which were sent to thousands of voters, give voters the information they need.

"It's factual. She voted for a state income tax three times," VanSickle said. "If she's so in favor of a state income tax, why would she move to Florida?"

Records from the New Hampshire House show that two of the three state income tax votes were procedural to bring the issue to the House floor.

"She voted for a state income tax. It doesn't matter why you did it," VanSickle said. "The [postcard] makes the point it needs to make."

As for Dean, he notes that the ads come from the party, not from his campaign.

"I'm not really interested in it," Dean said. "I've never seen any documents on [the state income tax vote]. It doesn't seem that important to me.

"I've not seen it," Dean said of the ad. "I don't like negative campaigning. I don't think it's necessary."

Molly Hunter is with the National Access Network, a nonprofit organization at Columbia University that focuses on education issues.

Hunter said the Republican attack ad was misleading, but true.

"Technically, the ad is accurate, but the issue was complex and they had to come up with something as far as funding," she said.

Hunter said her organization does not support one funding source over another.

Franks, who lives in Hernando, said the attack ad was meant to distract voters from Dean's voting record.

She said that Dean has voted for increased sales taxes and has allowed homeowners insurance to increase.

Dean said he did not want to talk about his political opponents, but rather about himself.

He focuses on his votes to reform medical malpractice laws, his support of gun ownership rights and his work to reduce property taxes.

"I'm not really interested in [attacking other candidate's voting record]," Dean said. "It is what it is."

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