Trial lawyers suspend top two execs and political director
by Dara Kam | October 16th, 2009The state’s trial lawyer association suspended Executive Director Scott Carruthers, Deputy Executive Director Paul Jess and political director Albert Balido for their involvement in a racially-tinged flyer targeting then-candidate John Thrasher.
“We repeat FJA’s apology for our financial role in the offensive and appalling absentee mail piece,” FJA President Michael Haggard said in a press release.
Haggard asked former Florida Supreme Court Justice Gerald Kogan to investigate the mailer and released Kogan’s report today after a board of directors’ meeting in Orlando.
The mailer sent to potential absentee voters was aimed at persuading Jacksonville residents to vote against Thrasher, a Republican, in the race to replace the late Sen. Jim King. Thrasher, a former House Speaker, later won the election.
The mailer depicted Black Panthers, President Barack Obama, Al Sharpton, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and a group of blacks holding an ACORN sign and was captioned “Is this the change you want to believe in?”
Kogan’s report, slightly longer than three pages, found that the three FJA executives were the only members of the organization who had knowledge of the flyer that drew outrage from Republicans and black lawmakers.
Everyone questioned about the mailer found it “outrageous, shocking, disgusting and contradicting everything FJA represents,” Kogan wrote in his report.
The trial lawyers initially distanced themselves from the mailer then admitted that Balido had hired political consultant Bill Helmich to come up with the last-minute attack.
“Bill, did it have to be so over the top?” Balido asked when initially shown the mail piece, according to Kogan’s report.
FJA promised that an oversight committee would review all campaign materials and expenditures in the future, according to the press release. (Read about FJA’s campaign spending at a bondage bar and a trendy South Beach night club here.)
The press release did not identify the three executives by name but said that “all three staff members specifically identified in the Kogan Report for their involvement in the matter have been temporarily suspended.”
Tags: Albert Bolito, campaign spending, campaigns, FJA, Florida Justice Association, Florida Senate, Gerald Kogan, John Thrasher, Paul Jess, Scott Carruthers
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Sentenced to die for crimes judged heinous and cruel, inmates await execution in a 9 feet by 6 feet cell.
October 16th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
This is pure damage control. This mailer was approved at the highest levels and now that Thrasher has won this is a thinly veiled attempt to say “please like us and don’t hurt us with any future legislation.”
Thrasher may “forgive”, but he sure won’t forget. I wish FJA luck - they will sorely need it now.
October 16th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
This is a terrribly written piece. Was the mailer for or against Thrasher? The article states:
“The mailer sent to potential absentee voter was aimed at persuading Jacksonville residents from voting against Thrasher, a Republican, to replace the late Sen. Jim King. Thrasher, a former House Speaker, later won the election.”
This suggests the mailer was intended to support Thrasher.
Ms. Kam needs to ditch the shades and apparently the bong and pay attention to her word selection.
October 16th, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Al Balido, a Republican, is also involved in another breaking story. Balido spent FJA PAC funds at a swingers/ S& M club in Fort Lauderdale. How this guy is not fired yet in incomprehensible.