In case you haven't surfed on over to the Supervisor of Elections website in the past few days, the newest batch of campaign financial figures for Clay County's elected officials and wanna-be's have been posted. I made my first appearance on the list of candidates, right there in the middle of the Republican candidates for the District 3 seat on the County Commission.

If you're interested in my particular stats, I can save you a couple of minutes. I have had $1,000 in contributions. Except for $100 donated by Bob Cook, a retired FBI agent who has been a great family friend since we all first moved to the area in the summer of '59, the rest of the money came from me. Less than a hundred has been spent so far, on office things and some copying of petitions to qualify me for the ballot. It didn't take me long to file my first report.

Comparing that number to my two opponents can be a schizophrenic experience. I've got more than twice as much money as one opponent, Debbie Terry. But the third person in the race, Orange Park Town Councilman and former chairman of the Charter Review Commission Travis Cummings has collected more than $36,000. Thirty-six thousand already, and we've still got two-thirds of a year before we're gonna vote.

Of course, there are some reasons for that rather, um, large discrepency in totals. I'm pretty sure the fact that I haven't asked anyone for financial contributions explains a little about my meager total. And, of course, there's that other reason. The one that got me thinking about applying for this County Commissioner job in the first place.

I think Clay County government would better serve its citizens (and itself) if the Board of County Commissioners wasn't filled with people who have been financed to the max by the same ol' poorly-visioned group of lobbyist-bundled, build-it-fast donors that has been financing local elections for awhile now. Since the Growth Industry changed the dress code of political powerbrokers to coats and ties from the Good Ol' Boys blue jeans and boots, the County Commission has rarely offered more than lip service to opposing any plans to construct new roofs in Clay County.

So, I thought, I'd offer voters in District 3 a choice. A candidate who has a perspective different from that of candidates who have obviously been vetted and approved by the Growth Industry - someone who neither sought nor accepted contributions from those who financed the big-money candidates. Let my opponents chase the big campaign dolIars, I would be a candidate who would remember the everyday folks once in he got in office, not just consider them sources of tax revenue that occasionally have to be appeased with some political feel-good legislation.

That loud noise you may have heard last week was campaign reality slapping me squarely across the face as I looked at the Supervisor of Elections' website. In my education as a candidate, it was like the graduation rite for Campaign 101.

Here's what I've learned in my first two months as a candidate:

1. The nicest and most helpful people in Clay County just might be employed at the Supervisor of Elections Office. I have yet to have any contact with them that didn't answer whatever questions I've had - and impressed me with everyone's attitude.

4. Everyone - everyone - hates the thought of more vehicles being added to the traffic on U.S. 17 and Blanding Boulevard.

5. My pre-conceived ideas about financing a County Commission campaign were pretty freakin' idealistic, and I have to explain to folks why I'm gonna have to pull a huge about-face, total flip-flop, complete reversal of something I said earlier.

Since no one really cares about how Ms. Kirkman's staff treats candidates, or how bad my feet are gonna feel months from now, I'll get down to explaining why my idea of capping donations to my campaign at $100, instead of the legally-allowable $500 maximum, is going to have to be filed under "I wish I could."

Let me tell you about a meeting I had with four folks last week. We talked about politics and they wanted to make sure that I wasn't someone who was just going to pay lip service to quality of life issues as a member of the County Commission. They wanted to know that I really felt like some issues should be decided on something other than the economic bottom line. And when I told them I would not accept campaign contributions of more than $100 per person or business, they looked at me like I was someone who obviously hadn't been trained in the art of campaigning. Or stupid, I'm not quite sure.

They posed a simple question they asked me to think about for a few days. "If you can walk out of here with $400 in donations or $2,000 in donations, which will help you get your message out?"

I was pondering that question when I surfed onto the newly-posted campaign finance numbers. SLAP!

So here's my flip-flop. I'm still not going to accept money from outside of Clay County, except for perhaps a personal friend or family member. I'm still not going to ask people for money, merely tell them what I believe in and leave the decision to donate up to them. But I can't limit everyone to $100 or less no matter how much I'd like to. Not when I'm already behind, $36,000 to $1,000, and I've discovered campaigning just ain't as cheap as what I thought I could make it.

I guess I've graduated from Campaign 202 now.

Michael S. Mann

michaelsmann@comcast.net [1]