Foster said he thinks fellow candidate Deveron Gibbons is behind the mailer. As reported by Aaron Sharockman:
In 2006, Bainter attacked an attorney general candidate, state Sen. Walter “Skip” Campbell, for a bill he sponsored that regulated the payday loan industry. Foster noted that Gibbons works for Amscot Financial, a company that provides payday loans.
Bainter’s group also is a client of the Victory Group of Tampa, which is working on Gibbons’ campaign. The Committee for Responsible Representation paid a total of $45,560.12 to the Victory Group for media buys in 2008, state records show. Victory Group president Adam Goodman is serving as a Gibbons campaign consultant.
But what Foster knew and what he could prove at the time were two different matters entirely. And since Foster went on to win the election, it may not matter who paid for the mailers attacking him.
But as Deveron Gibbons works to ingratiate himself with Foster’s administration, which is already having its difficulties integrating Gibbons’ ally Goliath Davis into a revamped city administration, I think it’s important to prove that Deveron Gibbons was lying when he said “I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I haven’t seen it,” when asked about the mailer.
So let’s follow the money:
The attack pieces were paid for Committee for Responsible Representation…
…which is really a front for the Freedom First Committee…
…which was funded in July with a $15,000 contribution from American Managed Care, LLC…
…which is a subsidiary of Universal Health Care…
whose CEO, AK Desai, was Finance Chair of Deveron Gibbons’ campaign.
