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Hernando Today

Political Parties Settle Into New Digs

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By TONY MARRERO

Hernando Today

Published: August 8, 2008

BROOKSVILLE - The two poles of Hernando County's political universe have shifted in recent months.

Both of the major parties have moved into new headquarters this election year and are tidying up their respective spaces for the rest of the political season.

The Democrats have set up shop in an industrial building at 13405 Chambord St., just east of Sunshine Grove Road.

The 1,200 square-foot space, next to Too Hot Hitching, is difficult to see from Chambord, and except for a small Barack Obama sign on the door, there's no indication it's a party headquarters. Before meetings, however, party members put up "Hernando For Obama" signs with arrows pointing to the place, and there are plans to put up a large Obama banner on the side of the building, said Jay Rowden, chairman of the Hernando County Democratic Party.

The new location is just across the street from their former headquarters, which turned out to have an air-conditioning system not quite up to the task of a heated election year, Rowden said. So the owner offered the new spot for the same $300 monthly rent, he said.

It was once a hangout for the owner and his friends, Rowden said, and it came complete with a massive bar. The various chairs and tables are Rowden's; the two televisions, including a mammoth big screen, were donated. The county's Democratic Club raises money to help pay the $500 combined rent and utility bill, he said.

The place has worked well so far, Rowden said. While it's not the cavernous location the Dems once had in a building on U.S. 19, the new spot is big enough. On Wednesday, some 45 volunteers brushed up on talking points for campaign calls.

"Once we get it a little better organized and get all of our stuff up it will be really nice," he said.

The Hernando County Young Democrats Club will host a party starting at 7 p.m. Saturday that will serve as a grand opening and a birthday bash for Obama. There will be refreshments and live music.

Obama doesn't plan to attend, but a life-sized cardboard cutout will stand in.

Republicans take two-sided approach

The Republicans actually have two new locations, one each in Brooksville and Spring Hill.

The party two weeks ago set up the so-called "McCain Victory Suite," a 900-square-foot space located in the Spring Hill office of the Hogan Law Firm, 11031 Spring Hill Drive. Tom Hogan is Brooksville's city attorney.

The suite will be dedicated solely to the local effort to get Arizona Sen. John McCain elected, said Hernando County Republican Party Chairwoman Ana Trinque. The party plans an official opening sometime after the Aug. 26 primary.

Party operatives will focus on the local, state and Congressional races from its new Brooksville headquarters, Trinque said, as Vice-Chairman Alan Setelius labeled envelopes for a mailer from U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite's campaign.

"This is working out great," she said.

The 1,200-square-foot space at 951 Candlelight Blvd. is tucked into the corner of a small shopping plaza behind the Wendy's on U.S. 41. The Republicans moved in back in January, but are still adding finishing touches, including a kitchen.

Photos of Republican heroes line the walls: Abe Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and, of course, his son. There's a photo of Brown-Waite with Dick Cheney, snapped by Trinque herself during Cheney's visit to Tampa during the 2004 election.

Below the photos are stacks of campaign signs, a rainbow of placards advertising school board and county commission candidates. The Republicans also have their own life-sized cardboard stand in, this one of a half-smiling McCain.

The party had for years occupied a space in downtown Brooksville, then moved out to the strip plaza on U.S. 19.

"That experiment wasn't good," Trinque said. Volunteers found it was much more convenient to be centrally located in the county and close to the courthouse, she said.

Trinque is acquainted with the owner of the building, but declined to say how much the party pays for the location.

The new place is plenty big, she said, and will have the luxury of a kitchen to keep volunteers fueled. On Thursday, a volunteer prepared a new counter and readied the sink.

There's one big perk party officials enjoy, she said: "We can designate a bathroom for male and female."

Party places

The Hernando County Republican Party's new headquarters are at 951 Candlelight Blvd., Brooksville.

Call: 796-4741.

The Hernando County Democrats new headquarters are at 13405 Chambord St., Brooksville.

Call: 238-6299.

Reporter Tony Marrero can be reached at 352-544-5286 or lmarrero@hernandotoday.com.

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