Politics move on after Rossi booted out of Key West mayor race

BY PRU SOWERS

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

Despite the campaign for Key West mayor taking a surreal turn when candidate Mark Rossi was recently removed from the Aug. 28 primary ballot, the remaining candidates say it is business as usual.

However, several did acknowledge that having one of the leading candidates suddenly disappear from the campaign trail would likely benefit them. In a crowded field of contenders, Rossi’s elimination pushes the number of qualifying candidates to seven, still a large group of people vying to stand out to voters.

George Bellenger, owner of Key West Eco Tours, said he is not changing his campaign strategy and will continue to “try to get my message out there.” But he also said having one less candidate, particularly one well-known to residents from his previous position as city commissioner, “certainly helps me.” That being said, Bellenger added, it doesn’t look good for an otherwise legitimate candidate to be removed from contention by an election official, even if for valid reasons.

“Personally, I think any third-party influence that restricts ballot access is not good for democracy,” he said. “Overall, it’s a bad look.”

Mayoral candidate and another former Key West City Commissioner Teri Johnston called Rossi’s removal from the ballot by Monroe County Supervisor of Elections Joyce Griffin “unfortunate.” You could practically hear her shaking her head over the telephone when she said, “It’s just Key West.” Johnston said she will stay focused and run her campaign like she has from the start.

“As the slate reduces, people have more of an opportunity to understand the candidates’ platforms. It [Rossi ballot removal] is going to only help people get to know the candidates better and learn their strengths and weaknesses,” she said.

Current Key West Mayor Craig Cates, vacationing in the Bahamas, was shocked when he learned about Griffin’s decision. He thought Rossi would be allowed to stay on the ballot, he said.

“It changes the election tremendously. It helps everybody,” Cates said, referring to the remaining mayoral candidates. “With Danny Hughes and Mark Rossi out of it, it changes the whole landscape.”

Another strong candidate, Hughes had pulled out of the race for health reasons a few days before the Rossi fiasco. Hughes had raised over $48,000 in his campaign, more than any of his competitors. Cates ranked Hughes and Rossi as two of the top four leading candidates and included Bellenger and current city Commissioner Margaret Romero, who is giving up her commission seat to run for mayor, in that ranking, as well.

Romero attended the July 27 hearing before Circuit Court Judge Timothy Koenig, where the judge ruled that a previous case involving a candidate from Miami Gardens being restored to the ballot because a mistake by his bank caused his check to the election office to bounce, did not apply to Rossi’s case and it was up to Griffin to determine Rossi’s fate. Romero also referenced Hughes’ withdrawal from the campaign.

“It just means the voters have two less people to choose from. It’s been a toss-up this election year. This has just been a crazy season. You just have to work as hard as you can to earn every vote,” she said.

Griffin, after Judge Koenig’s ruling, said that because Rossi’s campaign did not pay a $225 municipal election assessment fee on time, he did not meet the requirements for candidacy.

“I am thankful for the Court for providing the guidance that I needed. Consistent with [the June 27] ruling, I have determined that Mark Rossi did not satisfy all of the requirements necessary to qualify to run for Key West Mayor,” Griffin stated in a press release. “I regret, however, any role that erroneous information on my website may have played in denying Mr. Rossi’s supporters the opportunity to vote for the candidate of their choice.”

Griffin acknowledged that her office had mistakenly listed Rossi as qualifying for the Aug. 28 primary ballot on its website, despite his campaign not paying the $225 election fee. Rossi’s campaign manager, Barry Gibson, had been told by Hazel Lopez, an employee in Griffin’s office, on June 18 – four days before the deadline – that the fee had not been paid. Lopez said she gave Gibson paperwork to avoid the fee by claiming financial hardship. Gibson, himself a former city commissioner, took the paperwork and said he would return, according to Lopez’ affidavit in the case.

Reached by Konk Life, Gibson would not say why the $225 fee had not been paid, saying it was up to Rossi to make any statements. Rossi is currently in Europe on a six-week vacation and is not due back in Key West for another two weeks, Gibson said.

“At this point, I don’t want to talk about it. It [Rossi removal from ballot] is unfortunate. Mark will make some statements when he returns,” Gibson said.

Rossi has indicated he will not appeal Griffin’s decision. He posted a short statement on his campaign Facebook page shortly after the announcement.

“We respect the supervisor of elections’ decision to not be on the ballot. I am extremely sorry for any inconvenience this has caused. We will return all contributions made to the campaign,” he wrote.

According to the supervisor of elections website, Rossi had raised $2,600.

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