by Michele Gillis
Staff Writer
Remember Pacman?
Say that word today to the average person over 55 and an early video game may come to mind.
Say that to anyone politically involved and the reaction is a lot different: “PAC” means money and influence.
This is election time for many in the Northeast Florida area - including mayor of Jacksonville - and Political Action Committees are a major focus of real estate and construction associations.
A PAC is the driving force that causes an association to endorse, influence and donate. An endorsement tells the membership that the candidate is friendly to the cause. Influence sends a message to non-members that a reputable group has vetted the candidate. And money, the root of all politics, comes in the form of a donation that helps the candidate get his or her message across.
But it can cut both ways:
• If you’re the recipient of an endorsement, you certainly consider the people behind the PACs are working to make your community better, improve the quality of life for everyone and stand for honest government that will support the association’s agenda.
• If your opponent gets the nod, then those same people are influence-buyers, double dealers and rubber stampers for association bigwigs.
The truth?
Probably, as in most cases, somewhere in between.
So, who are these people, how do they make decisions and do endorsements really matter?
The people
Both major local industry PACS have an appointed committee that makes recommendations to its board. Members chosen for their knowledge and interest in government make up the committees.
For instance, the members of the Northeast Florida Realtor Association Political Action Committee (RPAC) include Jeff Fagan, Christine Baranofsky, Todd Kellogg, Sheron Willson, Andrew Bell, Audrey Lackie, Jeanell Wilson, Bonnie Brady, Holly McMurry, Carol Zingone, Dee Bumbarger, Diane Moss, Bridget Carter, Stuart Nichols, Damita Chavis, Karen Palmer, Chris Davis, Pam Pearce, Mincy Pollock, Andy Fletcher, Bryan Sacks, Beverly Garvin, Kay Seitzinger, Tami Glover, Bonnie Siecker, Rosie Granata, Jeff Stoneking, Paul Gruenther, Jill Streit, Evelyn Hopkins, Vera Thrift, Millie Kanyar and Deanna Williams.
The Northeast Florida Builders Association’s Political Action Committee (NEFBA PAC) names are just as familiar: chairman Rick Morales, Angie Claxton-Smith, Daniel Blanchard, Denise Wallace, Justin Hart, Larry Wittmer, Arnold Tritt, Mike Herzbert, Curtis Hart, Mitch Montgomery, Rogers Holmes and Tim Adkinson.
One difference: NEFAR interviews are by the committee only. NEFBA allows any member to sit in on the interviews.
But NEFAR’s process isn’t closed; RPAC Chairman Fagan said it’s always open to people who want to give their time.
“The biggest thing I see is that people don’t take the time to get involved,” said Fagan. “Once someone does they realize that it helps their business and they will end up benefiting from it. Now is the time we need more involvement from everybody.”
The process
According to Chris Hagan, NEFBA’s Governmental Affairs Director, his organization’s PAC meets before each election to determine whom they will interview. For instance, there are 10 candidates who qualified to be on the March 22 ballot for mayor of Jacksonville, but no more than four - the potential Mayors - were interviewed.
The committee interviews the chosen candidates. The questions are pointed and the tone can be summed up briefly: Are you for us or against us?
When the interviewing phase is over, the PAC has a lengthy (and often contentious) meeting to make decisions: who to endorse in every race, or not to endorse anyone in a particular race.
The recommendations are then forwarded to the board for a final decision.
The money
PAC money is raised in various ways by associations.
NEFAR’s annual RPAC auction is the Realtors’ major source and last year, with McMurry leading the way in organizing events, pulled in over $100,000.
NEFBA also has fundraisers and also heavily relies on direct donations from members. A portion of the NEFBA dues go to the PAC.
The RPAC money is split, says Governmental Affairs Director Nancy Garcia, with 30 percent to the National Association of Realtors, 40 percent to the Florida Home Builders Association and 30 percent is kept locally. NAR handles national elections, FHBA concerns itself with legislative races and NEFAR does the area races.
Not all the money goes to people; causes such as the successful Defeat Amendment 4 campaign also get funded.
Who gets endorsed
“RPAC works to elect candidates that are pro-business, pro-real estate, pro-homeownership, and who advocate on behalf of property owners and property rights, and oppose issues that may infringe property rights or impose any additional obstacles to homeownership,” said Garcia.
Adds Fagan: “We take the position of trying to clear the way to continue that tradition of homeownership and alleviate excessive intrusion by governmental bodies, and to encourage legislation that encourages that homeownership is a good thing for the communities, people and the nation.”
Hagan puts it succinctly: NEFBA’s PAC looks for fiscally conservative candidates who will best support the building industry.
Who gets what
The limit an association can donate to any candidate is $500 but that’s often a small part of the cash that comes with an endorsement. Companies, builders and Realtors surely are influenced by the association’s endorsement as they write their own checks.
When issues like Defeat Amendment 4 are involved, the money is used to pay for mailings, advertisements, bumper stickers, signs and the like.
There also is a non-financial benefit to candidates: elbow grease. Many people want to get involved in political campaigns - it can be fun, and you may meet people who want to buy or build a home - and an association’s endorsement may well steer a volunteer to that candidate.
What’s expected
An old British saying goes something like this, “If you take the crown’s money, you also will get the crown.” In other words, if you ask for support, you can expect those same people to ask for yours.
NEFAR wants its endorsed candidates to look out for the real estate industry, says Garcia. If an issue comes up that may affect the real estate industry, NEFAR expects a call for advice. Same with NEFBA.
And, if either has an interest in an issue, it expects calls to be returned.
But there are limits, and a smart association understands: no candidate will vote their way all the time.
The association
contacts
Both Garcia and Hagan are full-time employees and both carry clout with elected officials and government bureaucrats. They are the ones who back up the PACs with day-to-day action, staying on top of issues to head off problems, and trying to keep their associations on top of everyone’s agenda.
They carry the message to local city councils, the state legislators and often to Washington.
The most prized
A survey of candidates indicates that the five most sought-after endorsements come from the local firemen, policemen, builders, Realtors and teachers. All give money but an equally important reason is that they have a lot of members who provide legwork as well. All have a tradition of such vital jobs as helping make and distribute campaign materials, working the phone banks at campaign headquarters and waving signs as Election Day nears.
Finally, do
endorsements
matter?
Though the viability of a candidate is usually up to the candidate, Hagan feels the NEFBA endorsement helps them a lot.
“NEFBA places a lot of effort on helping our candidates get elected,” said
Hagan. “I feel it is vital for a candidate to receive the endorsement of NEFBA.”
Garcia said their endorsement is important to the candidates and, in some cases, the NEFAR endorsement was a big part of them getting elected.
“There have been situations where we were the only business industry group to support a particular candidate and they were elected,” said Garcia.
But often an endorsement is quickly yesterday’s news.
“It’s up to the candidate to make the most of it,” says Joe Mobley of The Fiorentino Group, a Jacksonville-based company that advises candidates. “The organization that gave the endorsement has a limited reach; the smart candidate will find a way to let everyone know.”