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Politics

Blue Ticket Consulting: Nice Work If You Can Get It

January 14, 2019 - 6:00am
Tom Alte, John Godwin and Nicholas Glover
Tom Alte, John Godwin and Nicholas Glover

The ethical boundary has always been blurry for political operatives in the midst of a heated campaign, but that line may have been crossed by St. Petersburg-based Blue Ticket Consulting in the Tampa City Council races going on now.

Qualifying for the nonpartisan Tampa City Council races ends Jan. 18. The general election is March 5, with the runoff in April.

The ethical lapse could have been triggered by a string of previous losses by the Democratic consulting firm.

Hired on separate occasions by two Tampa City Council competitors, Blue Ticket accepted thousands of dollars from both John Godwin and Nicholas Glover when they vied in the District 2 race.

Two hours and 25 minutes after inquiries by Tampa Bay Beat into the questionable practice, Glover announced he was switching his candidacy to District 3. When I interviewed Glover in November about his candidacy, I asked him why he chose District 2.

"It’s the race I can win,” he said with a less-than-modest air.

According to financial records on file with the Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, Godwin, a community-involved progressive, paid Blue Ticket $5,155.44 from his total campaign expenses of $8,699.16, or 59.26 percent.

Godwin suspended the relationship feeling Blue Ticket had not provided sufficient service to warrant the expenditure. Blue Ticket co-founder Tom Alte claims Godwin failed to meet fundraising benchmarks the firm had established.

Godwin campaign sign
Godwin campaign sign

Glover forked over $3,999.16 to Blue Ticket from total expenses of $4,766.99 through Dec. 31 -- or about 83.89 percent.

Whichever candidate wins in Districts 2 and 3, the only projected winner is Blue Ticket. Though representing the candidates in different timeframes, Blue Ticket possessed inside knowledge of the Godwin campaign and advised Glover to run in that district.  Shameful.

Glover campaign sign
Glover campaign sign

Check the above logos for lack of originality/replication.  The most recent Glover incarnation sanitized District 2 from the design.

Blue Ticket is also representing former county commissioner Ed Turamchik in the Tampa mayor’s race. Turanchik’s wife, Jenny, contributed $250 to the Glover campaign, while he was running against Godwin in District 2, as the incestuous Blue Ticket web continued to spin.

Turanchik so far has spent $14,640.90 with Blue Ticket,  His gravitas with Tampa’s progressive community has evaporated.

Here’s some more bad news for Turanchik and Glover: Blue Ticket is on a roll, but one that’s been coming up snake eyes. The last year has been a losing one for the consulting outfit, so it’s easy to speculate that taking on a candidate in the same race smacked of desperation.

Let’s take a look at Blue Ticket disappointments in 2018:

—Sean Shaw, in a battle of Tampanians, lost the Florida Attorney General’s race to Ashley Moody.

—In the Florida House District 70 Democratic primary, Vito Sheeley finished a distant third to incumbent Wengay Newton and Keisha Bell, a second challenger. Sheeley tallied under 15 percent of the vote.

—-In the District 69 Florida House race, Javier Centonzio dropped out of the primary in April against eventual winner Jennifer Webb.

—-In Florida House 62, Thomas Alvarez lost a three-way primary to Susan Valdes. Valdes scored 46 percent; Alvarez garnered 41 percent.

—-In the District 7 Hillsborough County Commission race, Blue Ticket’s Mark Nash (18.63 percent) finished third in a four-way field.

—-In District 2 Hillsborough County Commission, Angela Birdsong came within five points of longtime incumbent Ken Hagan. Observers have asserted that with more of a boost from the local Democratic Party and her consultants, Birdsong could have pulled off the upset.

Disclaimer: The author of this article, Jim Bleyer, contributed $50 to the John Godwin campaign. Bleyer, a former reporter at the Orlando Sentinel and Tampa Tribune, writes the Tampa Bay Beat blog.

Comments

Does Tom Alte’s Wife know that he sucked Mark Nash off for his business? Tom Alte is a crook.! #tomalte Tom Alte.

Peter Schorsch and Tom Alte have been pulling the wool over candidates eyes for years now. They are both racist. I heard Peter use the word *** multiple times in the past. His wife is also a huge racist. These two are fat racists that need to go!

Tom Alte is a racist fat ass. Thank you for exposing him Jim! He told my friends campaign that the black community doesn’t vote and not to worry about campaigning in the black community. He even said souls to the polls was a wate of time as no one shows. Fuck this racist and fuck his candidates. There is no room for racist shit in this town.

All COT municipal candidates were asked" If Elected would they support Open Book Government [ OBG ]. Will share their response here FMI about OBG 813-784-4669 C/T

Tom Alte is a known conman that has been very successful with his lies and deceit. Believe me, Alte is no good! I know this because he is a dear friend of mine.

Alte runs a fraudulent operation and he encourages playing unfairly.

"TAMPA",... The current "seat of modern rampant political corruption in Florida"... (Tallahassee "has nothing on THEM" ! )

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