District 55 race gets ugly

ST. PETERSBURG -- The gloves came off shortly after the salad course.

Less than 10 minutes into the District 55 candidates’ forum at the Suncoast Tiger Bay luncheon today, Council Member Earnest Williams launched into a long list of the personal failures of his opponent, Darryl Rouson, including the attorney's former crack cocaine addiction.

"I simply want to talk about his record,'' Williams told the crowd of nearly 200 people.

Later, Rouson returned the favor with a sly jab at Williams' decision to resign from the council at a time when a $1-billion stadium and redevelopment plan has been proposed in his district.

"I don’t think I would be running for another office right now,'' Rouson said.

The personal attacks continued throughout much of the forum, which marked the first time the Democratic candidates in the District 55 election faced off.

The hasty race comes on the heels of Rep. Frank Peterman's appointment as secretary of Florida's Department of Juvenile Justice. The primary election is March 25.

During his personal introduction, Williams spent much of his allotted time picking apart Rouson. He recalled Rouson’s decision to file for bankruptcy in 2002 to cover more than $400,000 in debts, his recent flirtation with the GOP and his unsuccessful Midtown secession campaign, which would have made the low-income area the highest taxed municipality in the county, Williams said.

Williams also attempted to paint Rouson as a tax monger. In January, Rouson, a member of the state Taxation and Budget Reform Commission, co-sponsored a proposal to give voters the option of reducing property taxes by shifting the burden to taxing some services and eliminating some exemptions.

"Here is a man who wants to tax, but still failed to pay his own taxes,'' Williams said.

Throughout the public lashing, Rouson sat calmly and grinned. But when his turn came to address the crowd, he didn't hold back.

"I don’t have time to concentrate on my opponents,'' he said, adding that he was the "embodiment'' of both Williams' business know-how and the social activism of educator Charles McKenzie, who is also running for the District 55 seat.

Rouson said that Williams was the only local black leader who didn’t understand the call for Midtown to secede, which was aimed at drawing attention to a neglected part of St. Petersburg.

Later, as the moderator introduced McKenzie, Rouson and Williams sat side by side and furiously whispered to one another before Rouson, interrupting the speaker, shouted out, "Why don’t you listen to the man instead of talking to me?''

The attacks continued during a question and answer period, when Rouson, describing how he would reform the state’s home insurance crisis, said he would demand insurance companies be more transparent with their financial records.

"I don’t make my money in insurance, so I am not worried about offending them,'' he said.

Williams is a longtime State Farm agent.

-- Cristina Silva, Times staff writer

Comments

They're featherweight.

[Chris]

Rouson has the strong support of the local GOP machine, with contributions from Deveron Gibbon's AMSCOT, and the Semblers. Darryl shouldn't be on the ballot with a 'D' next to his name.

Rouson is an opportunist of extraordinary proportion, who was bailed out of financial debt by favors from the GOP. He is not a democrat by any means. Why doesn't he have the honesty to run from the party he supports and who supports him?

FYI - Williams was also a Republican who jumped party to get elected. Williams has used thousands of tax payer dollars to travel the world. He has stated publicly that he wished people would "stop whining about their property insurance premiums", that he thinks they " get a good deal."

Vote for McKenzie.

Rouson is an exploitative crook who is as dirty as they come. Why he doesn't have enough sense to just fade away I'll never know.

The only people who would vote for him are those in league with his "enterprises" or those too stupid to know what's up.

[Dave]

Why do we NOT get a choice of decent people . If the article is fair then we as citizens are stuck with no choice but to not vote at all. I know I am fed up with the I got mine so screw the rest of ya attitude these people that run have , Wake up citizens, Write /e-mail your REPS, Your Senetors and let them know that you are fed up with our govt and that simply put we all will vote out the incumbent. period unless we are represented Fairly and honestly . ITS called PUBLIC SERVICE FOR A REASON . NOT PUBLIC JOB To CREATe WEALTH AND POWER.

Williams doesn't know how to campaign with class.

Rouson ,is the only one who gets things done, Williams is a sad bitter washed up old man who lies about his endorsements such as Jaime Bennett who is still neutral

[Clifford]

Rouson is a hypocrite. I've been told by police officers that Mr. Rouson was brokering a real estate deal on 4th Street South and he told the potential "white" buyer that "if he contributed several thousand dollars to the local NAACP, it would help the deal go through".

[Vicki]

Rouson is so corrupt and so is Williams I have been a life time resident of St.Pete. I do not know much about McKenzie but HE WILL BE GETTING MY VOTE............. When will we get candidates who actually think about US and not their PERSONAL adgendas. I could go on and on about NAACP stories and ROUSON but I chose to forget the sickening dealings.............

I was really unhappy with the 3 candidates. I don't like the reputation of Rouson or the record of Williams, so thought I would have to support McKenzie as a kind of default. But then I heard the candidates debate and McKenzie was way ahead of the others.
McKenzie has everything the other 2 lack and he is not beholding to those in the community who try to control everybody.

I actually forgot about a couple of those Rouson exploits.

Everything Rouson touches turns dirty.

Clifford 6:27
Look into "Ahali Place" on 31st St. South where he's created an all-black subdivision of his own. I know white families who were interested in buying lots in there who were either ignored by the "agent" or flat out denied entry. And yes, that's illegal, Darryl.

[Takeesha]

The guy is sick. Not only cocaine history but a foot fetishist. He used to give everyone pedicures at the NAACP office.

[Tiffanye]

Rouson is crooked, everything he touches
becomes crooked, he does not need to be reflected as a leader in our community, please come out and vote, and let people of his qaulity know we will not tolerate his kind!