Political group's funds may have altered race

Republican county commissioners Jane von Hahmann and Amy Stein took a bruising in the final week before Tuesday's primary election.

A recently formed soft-money group, Citizens for a Sustainable Economy, jumped into the campaign late with $54,000 to spend on direct-mail attack ads that blanketed homes in north and west Manatee.

The mailers, financially backed by some of the region's most prominent developers and Republican politicians, portrayed Stein and von Hahmann as out-of-control tax-and-spenders. The glossy ads depicted them as "two peas in a pod" and the queens of wasting money.

It may have worked.

Both lost their re-election bids Tuesday to candidates backed by Citizens for a Sustainable Economy, a pro-development political action committee. The identities of those financial supporters were not revealed until a few days before the election.

Von Hahmann blames an general anti-incumbency mood among voters, not necessarily the ads, for the loss.

"I would have liked to think, honestly, that people are smarter than that," said von Hahmann, who was ousted Tuesday by Bradenton Beach City Commissioner John Chappie. "But I guess you never know."

Stein, who was defeated by Palmetto Mayor Larry Bustle, called it a "good old smear campaign."

The group behind the campaign consisted largely of a number of other soft-money groups. Backers included a tangled web of financial and political interests.

The group has strong connections to state Sen. Mike Bennett and state Rep. Ron Reagan, both Republicans whose districts include Manatee and Sarasota counties.

The group is also linked to other political committees that have the financial backing of developers such as Schroeder-Manatee Ranch, Benderson Development and Neal Communities.

Donations to Citizens for a Sustainable Economy came between Aug. 4 and 21, and were not reported in public documents until the final days of the campaign.

Such last-minute advertising tactics are hardly new. These groups -- this one is technically called an "electioneering communications organization" -- are legal and common in local, state and national elections.

By spending their money late in the game, such political committees do not have to reveal their list of contributors until near the end or sometimes even after elections.

In 2006, two campaign groups backed by some of the same financial interests sought to defeat Joe Barbetta, then a candidate for Sarasota County Commission. Barbetta, a supporter of controlled growth, nevertheless managed to win that race.

Most observers view the ousting of Stein and von Hahmann for Bustle and Chappie as creating a more development-friendly board. Stein warned that might not necessarily be better for Manatee residents.

"The die is cast now," Stein said. "I think you'll see impact fees reduced and those costs passed on to the taxpayers. There's no way to keep a promise of lower taxes under that scenario."

Bustle said he had nothing to do with the mailers. Chappie could not be reached for comment.

"I think my message was consistent throughout," Bustle said. "I talked about taxes and growth, and those are the issues I will talk about when I'm sworn in; that's what made the difference."

Much of the financing for the committee came from other campaign committees, which themselves are largely supported by other committees.

One, Citizens for Housing and Urban Growth, lists more than $900,000 in contributions since 2005 and is run by Bennett and Reagan.

According to their committee's Web site, it seeks to "encourage the reduction or elimination of unnecessary government regulations." It donated $20,000 to the committee that targeted Stein and von Hahmann.

Reagan said Wednesday he had not heard about the ad campaign against Stein and von Hahmann. He also said he did not authorize the donation to Citizens for a Sustainable Economy.