A series of political attack advertisements targeting city commission candidate Genece Minshew has ignited debate over partisan politics in Fernandina's traditionally non-partisan local elections, following last January's legal opinion on party affiliations.
The controversy centers around four political mailers - the most recent received Monday by voters -- costing approximately $20,000 and distributed by Conservative Leadership for the First Coast; a GOP Political Action Committee (PAC) operated by Gainesville-based political operative Stafford Jones. The aggressive campaign has raised questions about the scope of City Attorney Tammi Bach's January opinion regarding party affiliations in local races.
Minshew is running against incumbent Vice Mayor David Sturges.
"Do I think I opened Pandora's box?" Bach responded when questioned about the recent developments. "Perhaps somebody has taken this (Escambia County) case and gone too far. The case says a candidate can use their own party affiliation in a non-partisan election. I don't think it (the court's ruling) goes beyond that scope."
Two-time city commissioner Tim Poynter, a lifelong Republican, expressed dismay at the situation. "These people are coming into Fernandina] from nowhere," Poynter said. "This costs a fortune to do this stuff. I'm embarrassed to call myself a Republican."
Poynter, who is running for Seat 3, voiced concern that some voters might be misled by the mailers, noting, "There's a lot of people in this community who don't bother to do any kind of research whatsoever. They get this crap in the mail, and they say to themselves, 'oh, well she must be in favor of development."
Early voting in the city began last Wednesday and residents have received two attack mailers against Minshew in just five days.
Local Democrats said the mailer campaign was inappropriate.
"The Democratic Executive Committee appreciates the City of Fernandina Beach Charter which indicates their races as non-partisan. As such, neither my predecessor nor I, along with our DEC officers support the partisan interference from the GOP and Political Action Committees in the last two election cycles. Although we would be well within our rights to act similarly and these actions may be legal, they are lacking ethically, and our organization will not be a party to such efforts," said Suzanne Sapp, chair of the Nassau Democratic Party. "We would hope our counterparts would act in kind, but it seems as though they’re willing to do anything necessary in order to win, including partisan interference."
The situation has revealed a complex web of political GOP connections. Jones, who controls 175 PACs registered with the state, has ties to U.S. Congressman Aaron Bean's past state campaigns and is currently supporting Mayor Bradley Bean's re-election bid. Jones also backed Bradley Bean's 2020 and 2022 city election campaigns.
City Commissioner Darron Ayscue has contributed $2,500 to a Jones PAC responsible for the mailers. Jones, who has not responded to requests for comment, emerged on Ayscue's Facebook page to comment on the Observer stories.
Vice Mayor David Sturges, who is running against Minshew for Seat 2, has limited his response to a denial of involvement posted on his campaign Facebook page, reaching only 350 of the city's 8,000 voters. His campaign has been connected to Jones' political operations through On Target Messaging, a Jacksonville company run by Republican strategist Alexander Pantinakis. Sturges was recently seen campaigning alongside Donald Trump supporters at the corner of 8th Street and Sadler.
The controversy has divided the city commission.
While Commissioners Chip Ross and James Antun have denounced the mailers, Mayor Bean and Commissioner Ayscue have declined to comment, citing alleged bias by the Observer. Bean defended Sturges in the ultra-conservative Yulee News, stating, "I've known Vice Mayor Sturges to be a man of integrity, who cares about doing the right thing for Fernandina."
Bach's original opinion, based on the case of Pensacola resident Kells Hetherington's 2022 Escambia County School Board race, permitted candidates to disclose their own party affiliations. However, she emphasized that the ruling does not address third-party political advertisements about candidates' party affiliations. "I have no legal opinion on that, but that is not what the court decided," Bach clarified. "That’s up to the Division of Elections to decide. I’m not going to say it (the mailers) are OK, this is not what the (Escambia) case says."
The influx of PAC money and partisan tactics into local elections has raised concerns about the future of non-partisan local politics in Fernandina Beach, with the interpretation of Bach's opinion becoming a focal point in the ongoing debate.
That opinion was prompted by an inquiry made by Commissioner Ayscue, who had support in the form of campaign flyers from the local GOP in the 2022 city commission campaign. At the time, Ayscue said he had no connection with those GOP efforts.
Comments