LONG SHOT LINN BEGINNING TO GET ATTENTION

Reform Party gubernatorial candidate Max Linn has gotten the attention of Lakeland Ledger political columnist Bill Rufty, who features the retired financial planner from St. Petersburg in his column today.

Linn was in Lakeland last Thursday to meet with the I-4 Corridor Group, but didn't appear as apparantly he was not informed that the location had been changed.

Of course, anyone familiar with recent politics knows that the Reform Party was formed by Texas billionaire Ross Perot, who ran for president under it's banner in 1992 and 1996, and former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura. Linn, and his running mate former Avon Park mayor Tom Macklin, switched their party affiliation from the Republicans.

Most local folks know, or at least read or heard, about Macklin earlier this year when he championed proposals before the Avon Park City Council to make English the city's official language in which it will do business and punish landlords and businesses who assisted illegal immigrants in any way (read: renting, employing). They failed by narrow votes in July.

Linn's has highlighted his support for eight year term limits for elected officials and changing how the FCAT is used. He has a professionally-done cartoon dealing with the FCAT issue (click here to view) and promoting his idea of paying all Florida school teachers $50,000 a year. Among his supporters: Retired Major League Baseball manager and Hall of Famer Don Zimmer.

In his column, Rufty tells readers not to be surprised of Linn receiving a double digit percentage of the vote November 7. If that occurs, and the battle between Republican Charlie Crist and Democrat Jim Davis becomes really close --- as it seems to be heading toward according to some early polls --- this third party candidate may actually have a major effect on who will be Florida's next chief executive.