NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- They say they care about the small business owners. They make promises. And when they lose or know they are going to lose, they forget the promises they made. There were two such candidates in this election who did just that in advertising: One an incumbent in a municipal race with an outstanding balance of $250 owed, the other an office holder who ran for an even bigger seat with a balance of $2,500 owed.
All told, that's $3,000. Enough to pay three months rent. Enough to pay the telephone bill for a year. Enough to pay the electric bill for 10 months. Enough to pay car insurance for a year. Enough to buy seven months worth of groceries. Enough to pay 10 months of car payments. Enough to pay for two years of community college.
They show up at meetings with pins on the lapels of their jackets or sports coats for either their city or county. They stand for the pledge of allegiance. They take part in ribbon cuttings and photo ops.
But most of all they lie through their teeth. They speak with forked tongues. They wear pressed suits that are clean on the outside, but dirty on the inside. Very dirty.
"Trust me," the larger dead beat said. "I would never cheat you. I'll have it to you by Friday." The smaller dead beat asked, "How much did my opponent pay?" When informed $500, he said, "Give me the $250 one you described."
Am I going to name them? No. They know who they are. And I'm sure other people do, too.
The problem is, few of the ads were consummated in writing. The vast majority were verbal agreements, you know, where a person keeps their word. When I spoke with my lawyer, she suggested I draw up a contract specifically for political advertising and get a signature on it like I have for regular advertising.
The payback for these two dead beats is they lost the election. They are sore losers. I'll survive. I'll tighten the family budget. I'll find another way to save up for college tuition that I was counting on for my kid to start school in January. I'll just work even harder than I already do, doubly harder if that is even realistic.
For them, the shame is priceless.