By Marvin G. Cortner
Editor

The district 5 Osceola County School Board campaign veered off the nonpartisan track earlier this week when a third-party mailer prominently touted that incumbent John McKay was a member of a major political party.

The mailer – sent by Floridians For Fiscal Responsibility, an Orlando-based for-profit electioneering communication organization (ECO) that lists Millennium Consulting Inc. on state documents as its registered agent and president – states that McKay is a “real conservative” and the only candidate in the race from a particular political party.

McKay is facing Tom Long in a run-off election Tuesday. Long, a community activist and in his first run for public office, garnered 17 more votes than McKay in the Aug. 24 primary. This is McKay’s first run for office in a single-member district.

State law bars school board candidates from campaigning based on any affiliation to a political party. It's been that way since 1998, when Florida voters changed the Constitution to keep partisan politics out of the school board races. However, ECOs are not bound by this requirement.

According to John Dowless, who runs Millennium Consulting, two donations covered the cost of the mailer: Charter Schools USA, of Fort Lauderdale, $500; and Billy Shepherd, of St. Cloud, $2,500.

Charter Schools USA also has donated $500 directly to McKay’s campaign and the group operates three kindergarten-to-eighth-grade charter schools in Osceola County.

Long said to his knowledge it was the first mailer sent out in the campaign that specifically mentioned party affiliation. He chose not to comment further on the issue to avoid giving McKay any advantage with voters who might use party as criteria for their selections.

McKay said the mailer came about as a result of “constant questions from the voters” directed to his volunteer supporters asking about his party affiliation.

“Some of my supporters felt that communicating that fact was necessary.  I simply suggested that they contact the only campaign consultant I know, who advised them that the legal way to do that was through an Electioneering Communication Organization. So that's what they did,” McKay stated in an e-mail.

“I did not pay for or approve the design of the mailer. However, I was aware of it and was glad to accept their support. As for all my campaign advertisements and expenditures, they have all abided by the nonpartisan regulations and were not used for that flier.”

More on Millennium Consulting Inc.

McKay over the last few months has paid $8,873 directly to Millennium Consulting Inc. for mailer services, according to campaign finance documents filed with the Osceola County Supervisor of Elections office. Millennium Consulting’s address is 4851 Legacy Oaks Drive, Orlando, the same address as Floridians for Fiscal Responsibility.

Specifically, McKay paid $3,748 on Aug. 9 to Millennium Consulting for “campaign mailers” and then paid $5,125 on Oct. 4 for a “campaign mailer.” As of Sept. 30, McKay had paid the firm a total of $14,528 for various services.

According to Jennifer Krell Davis, communications director at the Florida Department of State, Division of Elections, the ECO’s mailer had the needed disclaimer in terms of who paid for it.

Millennium Consulting Inc. over the years has advised many candidates at various levels, including some running for Osceola County offices.

More on this ECO

The state recently fined Floridians for Fiscal Responsibility $500 for late-filing of a campaign disclosure report due Aug. 20 and then on Oct. 6 also notified the ECO that it was late on filing both its Sept. 17 and Oct. 1 reports and that it faced additional fines.

According to disclosure documents filed with the state, the only large expenditure listed by Floridians for Fiscal Responsibility was one on Aug. 19 for $6,375 to Millennium Consulting Inc. for “print and postage.”

Additional campaign disclosure documents for Floridians for Fiscal Responsibility were to be sent Friday, Dowless said.