What possible difference does it make if our State Attorney is a Republican or a Democrat? Would one or the other enforce the law more or less effectively or fairly? We don't know. But what we do know is that 20-year incumbent Kirk Zuelch— who happens to be a Democrat— has been doing an absolutely disgraceful job. For years, his office has been infamous for favoritism and selective enforcement of the law. And for years, we've been exposing his sins and preaching that it's time for him to go.
Well, judgment day is coming. And the news is good. For the first time since Zuelch was first elected in 1980, he has opposition— Republicans Michael "Mick" Barnes of Key West and Mark Kohl of Tavernier. Both are running because they agree with many that twenty is plenty— it's time for a change. Both want to challenge Zuelch in the general election on November 7. But to do that, one must prevail in the Republican primary on September 5— which is less than five weeks away.
So, for Republican voters, the question should be: Which one of these challengers is the most likely to be able to beat Zuelch in November? We think that choice is clearly Mick Barnes. In recent years, Barnes has defeated Zuelch in the courtroom on a regular basis, including a couple of very high-profile cases.
For example, Barnes was the attorney for Nick and Carrie Nowatney, the young couple falsely accused of child abuse. Their two little children were taken and held in three different foster homes for 200 days to try to force the parents to plead guilty to something they didn't do. Zuelch was the one man who could have dropped those bogus charges at any time. But he didn't do that. Instead, he took the Nowatneys to court, virtually bankrupting them. But in the courtroom, Zuelch's case was so weak that the judge threw it out without even listening to all the testimony.
Barnes was also the attorney for Duck Tour Safaris, the innovative little company that used World War II amphibious vessels to conduct tours of Key West Harbor. They were licensed to do this by the City of Key West. Because the Duck vessels could operate on land as well as on the water, they were also used to transport passengers back to their hotels or to other pick-up points around the island.
State Attorney Zuelch set out to make a case that the Ducks were illegally conducting sightseeing tours on land in violation of the City's exclusive franchise with the Conch Tour Train and Old Town Trolleys. This is a criminal offense in Key West. Although undercover investigators with video cameras were unable to come up with any evidence showing any Duck representative pointing out anything on land, Zuelch arrested Ducks owner John Murphy anyway and put him on trial. The jury virtually laughed this one out of court, requiring only 15 minutes to return a Not Guilty verdict!
Barnes knows about fighting for what's right. As an airborne platoon leader in Vietnam, he was wounded three times and was awarded the Silver Star. In the battle to become State Attorney, he's running on a platform of Equal Justice For All. Isn't that what we all want in the State Attorney's Office?
You can learn more about Mick Barnes by calling his campaign headquarters on 296-5288 or by visiting his website— www.votebarnes.com.
We don't know much about Mark Kohl and, frankly, we're not even sure that he's a serious candidate. We have yet to see a brochure or even a press release, and he doesn't have a website. And the last time we looked at the candidate treasurers' reports, he had only raised $300 in campaign contributions.
We think a head-to-head contest between Barnes and Zuelch could be one of the most interesting— and important— political races here in years. But only Republicans can make that happen. If you're registered to vote as a Republican, mark your calendar for Tuesday, September. 5— right after Labor Day. Your participation in the Republican Primary election is important!