The Tampa Tribune from Tampa, Florida • 68

IH-d PASCO 2-D THE TAMPA TRIBUNE, Saturday, October 20, 1984 is Republican challenger in House race shuns campaigning 1 1 1 i i I I i i i jfKs, 11 VVt By HUGH MARTIN Tribune Staff Writer At a recent fund-raiser for State Rep. Mary Figg, a woman stood off to one side wondering aloud if anyone there had ever seen Sam Ballinger. Ballinger is the Republican who challenging Figg, first-term Democrat, for the District 60 seat in Florida's House of Representatives. And the Figg supporter was not the only person who has been wondering about him. "The only thing I know for sure about Sam Ballinger, I know how to spell his name and I know he filed to run against Mary Figg," one top Republican official said when asked about his campaign.

Although Ballinger filed to become a member of the Hillsborough County Republican Executive "no one on the committee has seen him," according to committee chairwoman Marjorie Kincaid. "He would have been purged by now because he never attended a sponds to Ballinger's comments by saying her contributors know they cannot buy her vote. They are Just trying to ensure continued representation by "a legislator who is reliable," Figg said. Despite his unconventional approach, Ballinger does say he would like to use one orthodox tactic in the campaign. "I'd like to have one well-publicized debate with Ms.

Figg." Figg, who says she has only seen Ballinger once, replied by saying, "Well then why doesn't he come out to one of these forums and debate me." In contrast to Ballinger's low-key approach to the campaign, Figg Is going all out She has billboards up, she has been canvassing neighborhoods and speaking at meetings, and she says her campaign is just entering the stage where it will spend "a lot of money." She explains her effort by saying, "I guess the question is not so much whether I think he is a serious candidate, but how I feel about myself. I take the election seriously." raised $45,000 in contributions. Ballinger says doing all the traditional things that candidates do may not be neccessary to win. He thinks he will get votes from people who are dissatisfied with the Democratic party and will vote for him because they believe in what the Republican party stands for. In a nutshell, Ballinger says Republicans stand for lower taxes and government to benefit everyone while Democrats stand for higher taxes and government programs to benefit just a few.

He says he will not market himself "like a bar of soap," to sway the votes of a small number of people. And he says he has rejected some contributions because it would be unfair to accept money when he cannot campaign full-time. He says his lack of funds is an advantage, because he will not owe anyone anything if he is elected. Figg will owe her contributors something, he said. Figg is also turning down money, but in her case she says it is because she has more than she needs.

She re Kincaid, who says she has only seen Ballinger twice since the beginning of the campaign, added "There is no relationship (between the party and Ballinger). I don't even know how long he's been a Republican." Nonetheless, Ballinger insists he is a serious candidate. However, he admits that he has not attended any of the forums or meetings where candidates traditionally go to voice their views. And he has made little if any effort to raise money, saying his campaign treasury has just $860. "I have not been able to generate the funds I expected by a long shot, basically due to business obligations," said Ballinger.

He is a communications consultant. Meanwhile, Figg says she has State Rep. Mary Figg is campaigning hard despite the low-key opposition for the House District 60 seat. i Republican challenger Sam Ballinger has avoided the traditional campaign stops and has raised only $860. A i Some area lakes to be tested for susceptibility to acid rain damage ,4.

'U i based in Lakeland and use labora: tory facilities associated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. Similar water sampling is scheduled fcr Georgia and states lying in the upper Middle West, the Rockies and Appalachian Mountains. Government chemists will be analyzing about 20 properties of lake water, ranging from its acidity to the presence of contamination by metals like mercury and lead. Recent tests by the Florida Department of Environmental Regulation indicated that mercury levels in 90 percent of the fish examined in 18 water bodies did not exceed federal guidelines for human Humphries in an interview Friday. "We'll have a little better idea of which are which are not susceptible to acid rain.

This study will not suggest acid rain is or is not affecting a lake or point a finger at any one (pollution) source." The EPA wants to focus on Florida lakes with "soft water" those nestled in sands near the ground surface. "Hard-water" lakes are thought to be in direct contact with deeper limestone, which can act as a neutralizing buffer for anything acidic that falls into the water, said Humphries. The EPA's testing program probably will move into Florida during the first two weeks of December, he added. The federal scientists will be By PATRICE FLINCHBAUGH Tribune Staff Writer As part of a national study, federal environmental officials soon will test 300 lakes in the southeastern United States to see which ones could be most susceptible to biological damage from acid rain. Water samples will be taken from a sizeable number of lakes in the mid-section of Florida in early December, according to a U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency spokesman in Atlanta. The particu-'' lar lakes to be tested have not been named yet. "This is primarily a way for us to detect any future change in the lakes," said EPA spokesman Bob Innocent From Page IB he said the state's case against Tobin was "totally different" from the allegations against Darden. Darden has pleaded not guilty to one count of unlawful compensation and one count of bribery. Darden could not be reached for comment Friday night at his Winter Haven home.

Tribune photo by BRITT LAUGHLIN Snowbird Production members Mike Barnitt, Christine Noguere, Bill Ahrens, David Campbell, Eddie Beverly Jr. and Nico Pavan discuss the mechanics of a scene to be shot in a Ritz dressing room. Gable TV movie to finish filming in Ybor City's old Ritz Theater The case against Tobin was portrays his assistant, and' Ajitonio of Richard Fabrizio tends a bar within thelTTFaH VT? wnp lata ae, lODin ter. Tobin was acquitted -of taking- $1,000 bribe from Darden in 1979! and a $5,000 bribe from Darden 'in! 1981. The $5,000 bribe was allegedly paid through a political, consultants-Jack Cory.

Cory also is charged with one count of unlawful compensation and) one count of bribery in connection; with the alleged 1981 bribe. Darden! is not charged in the alleged 1979! bribe, Darden and Cory are scheduled! for trial Nov. 19. Both men have! pleaded innocent to the charges. Cory has attended the tobin trial! all week and he called the "very encouraging." Darden has not? attended the trial.

In closing arguments McGee said the state hadn't proved! its case because it didn't present wit-! nesses to corroborate the testimony! of Schwartz, who admitted he lied! four times to federal and state lnves-I tigators. "There is a reasonable doubt to everything here because there is; nothing here that is not based on; Rick's (Schwartz) lies," McGee said. Schwartz testified -earlier thisj week about several alleged In most cases Schwartz said he col-j ler.ted the mnnev and distributed It! The Snowbird Deoole hODe lot eh W-toHBw-commtasioner ueorge Management a garbage company. Adelberg thought the alleged bribe was for $5,000, when, according to Schwartz, it was $3,000. Tobin told Adelberg that the $5,000 "has nothing to do with Waste Management," and said he's not worried about appearing before a federal grand jury that was investigating the garbage firm.

"If their investigation is about Waste Management, they're not going to get me on nothing. If they're going into other stuff, that's a different story," Tobin said. Jaffe told the jurors the "other stuff Tobin was referring to was a $5,000 bribe from Darden. But Tobin said he felt the tapes helped show his innocence because they were played in their entirety, instead of having JafTe highlight certain sentences. The state rested its case Friday morning and defense attorney Edward McGee rested his case without presenting any witnesses.

Tobin did not testify. McGee maintained that the state hadn't proven its case. Two of Tobin's bribery charges and two of his unlawful compensation charges were connected to Darden, whose firm has had contracts for $1.8 million, worth of work in Polk County in the past seven years. the nilot to cahle television's Hnmer Lietlerman accepted $21,000 worth "Amateur Night," an 84-minute movie, features local names both in front of and behind the camera. of bribes from 1979 to 1981.

The prosecution also entered as evidence three tape recordings from Jan. 4, 5 and 18 of conversations between Tobin and his former employer, Ira Adelberg, owner of Margate Jewelers. Jaffe told the Jurors they didn't have to rely entirely on Schwartz' testimony to convict Tobin, 'Your going to help convict this defendant with his own voice. On the tapes, Tobin did not admit to taking any bribes," but he corrected Adelberg when Adelberg pressed him for details on a bribe Tobin allegedly took from Waste tor Kathryn Laughlin of Tampa. Most of the people in front of and behind the cameras that started roll- ing Oct.

8 are locals, including screenplay co-author Tom Dempsey and Director Eddie Beverly both principals in Snowbird Productions, Inc. of Tampa. One exception was television and movie star Dennis Cole of California, who performs a cameo as a sleazy talent agent in "Amateur Night." Two Tampa residents and an individual from Houston, whom Dempsey declined to Identify, financed the 84-minute-long movie, a non-union project that is costing under $230,000, Dempsey said. Most of that money is staying in the community, particularly salaries for nine main actors, about 15 minor character players and more than 150 extras, he said. Tampa was picked for the locale because it has so much talent, Laughlin said.

The main characters are local people: Geoffrey Dueul, who acted in "Chisum" with John Wayne, plays the theater manager; Lisa Powers Box Office or Showtime and develop it into a series, Dempsey said. He feels optimistic about a television deal and expects to have some news by Thanksgiving. "The footage looks terrific," said Production Manager Stan Kozma. The movie-makers leased the Mediterranean-style theater from owner Bill Field, who has been restoring the red-brick building that includes apartments on the second floor. One scene required positioning two cars in front of the theater this past Sunday to simulate a collision caused by an amateur hurrying to make a performance.

Field said "Amateur Night" should be a plus for Tampa, Ybor City and the Ritz. The entertainment-oriented newspaper Variety aleady has published a story about the movie, Dempsey noted. By DANIEL ALARCON Tribune Staff Writer The filming of a cable television movie was expected to be concluded today at the Ritz Theatre in Ybor Audience scenes for "Amateur Night" were being shot Friday night in the 500-s'eat theater constructed in 1931 at the site of a silent movie house at Seventh Avenue and 15th Street. The story revolves around show people who operate the theater, and "promising amateurs who are trying to launch their careers there. The mood is like that of network television's "Hill Street Blues" or i "St.

Elsewhere," said Casting Direc to Liederman and Tobin. I Rally nator of Women for Reagan-Bush 84 and organizer of Friday's rally, said the organization was established to show "that overall, women do support President Reagan. "Women are excited about the fact they can afford to buy a house because interest rates are down, that there are job opportunities, that they can go in stores and buy products that are not inflated price-wise. They feel secure with a strong leader who can protect the country," Colmenares said. Shirlee Bowne, co-chairman of the statewide Women for Reagan-Bush '84 said from Tallahasee that "women tend to have the feeling that all Issues are women's issues.

"I am in my 40s, in business and divorced. My mother is on Social Security, My son just got a job in Texas for a company that had cut back employees four years ago. I feel President Reagan is the best choice for all of us." often been misrepresented. "The poor have been told that Ronald Reagan is taking food out of their mouths and that is a He," said Jefferson, who drew frequent applause Friday. "There is more money than ever being spent for food stamps.

But that's not what they're told." Despite the fact Reagan is leading Mondale in most polls, Jefferson cautioned the audience "to forget about the polls. The only thing that will matter is the count of the votes when the polls close. And there is nothing we can take for granted." Jefferson knows polls show that Reagan is not strongly supported by the nation's blacks. But, she said after the rally, "that just doesn't make sense. There is no segment that should be that wed to one candidate.

There are many who feel the way I do, but they are locked into certain social patterns." Pat Colmenares, Tampa coordi from rage its the rose garden next to Curtis Hixon Convention Hall. A forceful speaker, Jefferson cited several facts she believes the Democrats would like Americans to forget from the Jimmy Carter-Mon-dale years: That in 1979 economic growth had stopped, that there was double-digit inflation, that there were 21 percent interest "The Democrats are now using the word 'deficit' as though they came up with it in the first place. They couldn't even define it before," she said. "If they had all the answers, why did they leave so many problems for President Reagan to solve?" v- Jefferson said she first met Reagan in 1973 when he was governor of California, called him a genuine man who has "no racial prejudice, no religious prejudice" and has Police From Page IB Pope's. According to court records, Plant City police arrested him on drug charges the same day.

In an interview last week, Police Chief Troy Surrency said he doubted that Pope was ordered from her house at gunpoint, but that he would "ask the officer who was about it. However, on Monday the chief declined further comment, directing questions to Capt. Ruffin Cain. Cain had said he couldn't comment on anything other than daily reports. Surrency also said he was not aware the case had been dismissed.

"I can't believe an officer would tell a 70-year-old woman to put her hands up," he said in the interview last week. "We went there for a young man. They know Michael Sprouse here (at the police station). They've arrested him many times before. They knew where his apartment was, they got the information to get the warrant." To Marjorie Pope, however, what happened that evening is something she'll never forget.

"I didn't sleep at all that night, I still re-live it," she said, "Them guns is what scared me." Pope said she was laying on her couch watching television between 5 and 5:30 p.m. on June 14 when she saw two men stepping onto her front porch. She got up to meet them, and found herself face to face with a pistol and a rifle, Pope said. "They came up on the steps with the guns out like I was some kind of criminal," she said, "And that's the truth, straight from my heart." At the time she did not know the house, said he saw her about an hour! after the incident and that she was" "visibly shaken." Jeffries said he realizes police! officers don't have an easy job, but! that he was concerned about Pope! when he saw her. Most of the resi-t dents in the 15-apartment complex are elderly, he said.

i The warrant, issued by Hillbor-i ough County Judge Susan Bucklew! on June 14, describes Sprouse's resU dence as "a white single story frame! single family residence having green porch and green trim 3 But according to Sprouse, Pope, and James Jeffries, the property; owner, the cottage-like iuilding con- tains two apartments. Sprouse lived in the rear apartment with an en-' trance on the side of the house, said. His apartment number: was seven. Pope's apartment nunW ber, which is visible near her front door, is six. When the officers returned to the! station that evening, uniformed ofii-; cers told him "that poor old woman! was scared to death," Surrency satd; But it was his understanding that art older woman came out ibf her house? by herself to see what was going cm; he said.

Surrency said he sent marked; police cars and uniformed officers, to the scene so the men would bet "instantly recognized" as police offH cers. "I send marked cars just for that reason," he said. 'J But neither Surrency rior Cain would say which Plant City otfi- cers were at the scene when thet" warrant was served. William K. Hysell, a detective! who no longer works for the Plant City police force, is listed on both the search warrant and arrest reports as the complaining party.

But Hysell, contacted at his home in Brooksville, refused several times to comment on the incident. police officers, Pope said. "I thought it was a terrorist," she said, "They had machine guns, is what it looked like they had. They had them drawn. I was scared to death, I'd like to have a heart attack." Pope said she asked the two men, "What's happening? What's the matter?" Without identifying themselves, they asked her if she knew Michael Sprouse, Pope said.

Because she collected his rent money for the landlord, the woman knew Sprouse. But she did not know who was standing three feet away with guns, so she turned to her right to enter her bedroom where she keeps her telephone, Pope said. "I thought I'd call the law. I didn't know the law was out there all over," she said. "I had picked up the phone" and suddenly the men were in her house, she said.

One of them ordered her to "put your hands up," Pope said. With her hands raised they marched her out onto the porch, she said. "They held the gun on me until I got to the porch," she said. "I didn't know what was happening. I thought they were going to kill me.

It happened so fast." Pope said the two men did not identify themselves as police officers until she was outside. Then they told her they "had a call to search this house," she said. She told them she lived alone in her apartment, and one of them left the porch, she said. Pope said they offered to take her to a doctor if she thought she needed to see one. "I've never been scared like that in my life," she said.

Even now, months later, "every once in a while that comes over my mind and I get scared," Pope said. James Jeffries, who owns Pope's Young negotiate with the Soviets, saying, "Most of what Reagan has done shooting off his mouth has heightened the tensions." Young called Reagan's performance in his first debate against Mondale in Louisville a "disaster," but said he expects the president to be "the old, one-line Reagan" Sunday. He said it is up to the voters to reject simplistic answers to complex policy and national security, Young said it is up to Mondale to show Americans an "intelligent, logical and rational" approach is superior to. Reagan's policy of "empty slogans." He called administration objectives in Central America "questionable," and cited as one example, "trying to overthrow the government of Nicaragua with a secret war." He also criticized Reagan for failing to From Page IB local "commissions on excellence" could draw on to solve local school problems, according to the litera-, ture. Included would be such items as raising teacher salaries and ways to cope with teacher shortages and needed programs.

For Sunday's debate on foreign dressed in street clothes were men PASGO.