Max Linn at St. Pete Dems Club

ST. PETERSBURG -- Max Linn, one of three Democrats running for the Congressional District 10 seat now held by Rep. C.W. Bill Young, spoke tonight at the St. Pete Democratic Club.

Linn, left, emphasized his humble youth in St. Petersburg and more recent political activism to combat the notion that he's led a privileged life.

"I don't come from this portrayed silver spoon at all," he said.

Linn, of Treasure Island, started his own financial planning firm and is a multimillionaire who has donated about a quarter million dollars to his campaign. That gives him a financial lead over his Democratic opponents, Samm Simpson, middle, and Bob Hackworth, right.

"I know what it's like to do the tough fight," Linn said at the Piccadilly Cafeteria in St. Petersburg, talking about his work in the 1990s as the president of Florida Citizens for Term Limits to enact and preserve term limits on the Florida Legislature. He also spearheaded Ideas Florida, a statewide campaign to encourage citizens to run for public office.

He said he left the Republican Party when it abandoned fiscal responsibility and he switched to the Democratic Party after realizing that third-party candidacy wasn't viable. Linn ran for governor in 2006 with the Reform Party.

Simpson, who earned 34 percent of the vote when she ran against Young in 2006, was also at the meeting. The St. Petersburg Democratic Club political action committee has endorsed her.

Hackworth, the mayor of Dunedin, held a fundraiser in St. Petersburg last week.

The three Democratic candidates will debate on Thursday, July 10 at at 6:30 p.m. at Banquet Masters at 8100 Park Boulevard. A $15 ticket is required. Call 727-360-3971 for more information.

--Stephanie Garry, Times Staff Writer

Comments

Does the tough fight also include setting-up phony foundations in Bill Young's name to bilk veterans? Come on Max get real. No one's going to drink you koolaid, give up. oops you have already.

Max, your kung fu is no good.

[jRaw]

Does anyone following the 10th race take this guy seriously? It amuses me that the Times can grant him any credibility after the carnival of a campaign he has been running to this point. If there are ANY Max Linn supporters out there, please identify yourself so I can quickly diffuse your bomb of a candidate.

whichever one of the wackos wins the primary will get crushed by young so it doesnt matter who wins in Augusy

[Sensei]

While I do agree that Max is far from credible as a candidate, person, etc. and think that he should explain himself on founding a phony foundation using Bill Young's name (according to a 2006 St. Pete Times article)that was directing money to unidentified sources using veterans to raise money and also why he dropped out one day then back the next. This behavior doesn't seem very congressional, it's irrational at best crazy at worst. Just the fact that he's hired and fired 4 different staffs to this point is ridiculous and screams of ineffective, fanatical, and foolish notions that alone make him unworthy to even speak the word congress much lees be a member.

I think Samm is hot!

Heck - I'll look at anybody but Bill Young.

[jRaw]

http://www.wesh.com/2006/1013/10071277.jpg

What the hell is wrong with the St. Pete Times. Has Linn payed them off? The newspaper should be warning its readers that this man is a phony. Instead they run a puff piece.

Hey St. Pete Times:

Linns's Term Linits Crusade: Fake
His military foundation: Fake
His Florida Politics thing: Fake
His run for Govenor: Fake

Here is a concept the Times might want to look into: Journalism.

"Just the fact that he's hired and fired 4 different staffs to this point is ridiculous and screams of ineffective, fanatical, and foolish notions that alone make him unworthy to even speak the word congress much lees be a member."

No, he has NOT 'hired and fired' 4 different 'staffs.' Please do get your facts straight before commenting. Also, it's 'less,' not 'lees.'

"Linns's Term Linits Crusade: Fake
His military foundation: Fake
His Florida Politics thing: Fake
His run for Govenor: Fake"

Fake in what aspects?

People should really learn how to back up their comments on here, it really gets ridiculous.

Point of Order, he has hired 4 different staffs,his military foundation was phony, please see the 2006 article in the St. Petersburg Times. I think you should ask your candidate for the truth before you blindly defend him. As far as the others, his run for governor wasn't fake, more foolish. The press release with him withdrawing was real, not fake. Max is just to fanatical to realize that his image is too bad to do anything with.
While I admire your energy in protecting your boss, as is your job, you need to be informed before doing so.

Who is this loser sticking up for ML? How much money did you take for this rediculous job?

A fake movemnt is one that has no members, has no impact, has no doners, I could go on but this is too rediculous. And yes, a fake run is one that gathers LES THAN 2% of the vote.

Spin that, loser.

Samm is just as bad as Max, only she doesn't realize how little of a chance she has. After losing badly two years ago how can she possibly fathom a win? Sacrificial lamb comes to mind when I think of her

[Satchel]

Max is a nice guy. I like the idea of putting someone in office who has never been in office before. Same goes for Simpson. Nice lady, no experience holding public office. It's a win-win with either one.

Satchel: Apparently just being a nice guy and having a lot of money gets your endorsement. Pretty shallow if you ask me.I hope you also like the idea of scandals because controversy always follows Max.

Since when does lack of experience equal good leadership? Let's take someone who knows nothing and put them in a position that can either make or break an area, good thinking. I hope Max isn't paying you very much.

[Ondori]

I love how people get attacked and are accused of being paid to support a candidate. You show me a politician who has done no wrong and is squeeky clean and ill chop my nuts off. As for Max hiring and firing 4 sets of staff...dead wrong. I think it is YOU who needs to not speak when all you do is spread lies and false accusations. Also, haven't we learned not to believe everything you read? St. Pete times has a lot of writers who are pretty biased and thats no secret. Samm is no princess either nor is she a life long Dem. I remember her saying she wanted to switch parties to support Ron Paul lol. Come on! Another thing...false term limit crusade? Are you serious? Max was all over the damn place when they were trying to extend the term limit speaking out against it. After alot of time and activism it was finally removed from the ballot. Of course he did not do it solo but I am sure it's a hell of alot more than you have done. Get from behind your keyboard and mothers spare room and do something else but spread lies on the blogs.

Ondori is GAY. He told me so 25 years ago! By the way, the Gov. of FL is getting married.

uhhh Max has no Donors? If you look on the FEC he has more money raised by individual donors than any of the other candidates. on top of the other 200k+ he dropped into it himself. Samm has raised what? 8 grand? Have fun beating C.W. with that. Max is the ONLY candidate who would have a SHOT at taking C.W. out. Samm last run raised like 30k... the sad reality of this game is you need money and Samm does not have it. Nor can she raise it. Whether you want to face it or not...Max is the ONLY candidate out of the 3 who can fork it out.

The only thing Max needs a fork for is to stick in himself, he's done. Also when is financing your own campaign a sign of support? Self-financing means he can't find anyone that likes him or his ideas enough to give him any money. Truth be told Bob Hackworth is the CLEAR CHOICE to challenge Bill Young. He has leadership experience, knowledge of government, and isn't a wacko like Max and Samm. When is the next press release coming out? Maybe it should read, "Obama campaign turned down help from Max Linn citing lack of anything resembling sanity and fresh ideas." I'm guessing when told that Max was going to "help" Obama he said we full here, go sell crazy somewhere else.

[Jim D.]

Thank you, Stephanie for a fair and accurate report on Max Linns' appearance before the St. Petersburg Democratic Club last Wednesday.Jim Donelon, President-St. Petersburg Democratic Club

STOP KISSING HER BEHIND! LINN IS A LOSER!!!!!

[James]

Maybe the coverage is fair and accurate, it is incomplete. Either Max screwed up and quit the race and then jumped back in; or the same rpeoter screwed up in not acsking the tough questions of Max.

"Max is the ONLY candidate out of the 3 who can fork it out."

Listen to tha tone of that sentence. It's arrogant and bullying. The writer throws his weight around becaus be speaks for his rich boss.

This comes from a dime-store thug who thinks he'll be on easy street when he helps the boss BS the voters. What a worm. What a slug. What a shell of a man. What a disgrace.

[YP]

It's a point of fact that Max is actually the only one who can beat Young. Simpson's a fine lady, but even in the Democratic blow out year of 2006, Young beat her 2 to 1 and Mayor Hackworth has less of a shot. It's sad to see people trash and blatantly spew nonsense against the only winning candidate. He's also the man responsible for State term limits in FL. He sued for it and his organization was highly effective. He'd be a force in Washington and can really achieve some good.