Political Contributions Come in One Door, Go Out Another

It’s give-back time in the San Diego mayoral election.

First, Peter Navarro gave back a $500 contribution from a bookstore owner who was busted on charges of pushing pornography.

Now, Susan Golding has returned a $250 contribution from John W. (Jack) Campbell of Florida and San Diego.

Campbell owns a string of controversial gay health clubs and was convicted in San Francisco in 1978 of running an upscale house of (gay) prostitution a block from Dianne Feinstein’s home.

On Friday, I had asked the Golding campaign whether it had received a $250 contribution from Campbell.

On Monday, the contribution was returned to Campbell via Nicole Ramirez Murray, the San Diego gay activist whose persona and past were the subject of a nasty back-and-forth between Golding and Navarro.

For those who haven’t been watching, Navarro last week accused Golding of having a “male prostitute” on her fund-raising committee, referring to Murray.

Murray held a teary press conference to accuse Navarro of unfairly dredging up his long-ago criminal record. He displayed a picture of himself in drag queen finery standing next to Navarro at a gay event at which other candidates were also present.

Campbell, 59, says Murray showed up unannounced at his San Diego hotel room Monday morning with a check. He says he donated to Golding last spring at the suggestion of Murray.

“He/she raised a lot of money here 15 years ago when we in Dade County (Fla.) were battling Anita Bryant and her band of bigots,” Campbell said.

Campbell says he has no business interests in San Diego but visits here frequently because of the comfy weather and the fact he has relatives in North County. He says he’d like to retire here.

The Miami Herald says Campbell is a millionaire and wields much political clout in Florida because of his contributions to candidates and his positions with the local and state Democratic Party. He was a Clinton delegate to the Democratic National Convention.

An investigation by the Herald last year found that Campbell’s club in Miami, Club Body Center, was a hotbed of public, unprotected, anything-goes sex in apparent violation of health and zoning laws that are supposed to help halt the spread of AIDS.

There was the suggestion that Campbell’s political influence had kept health and zoning inspectors at bay. Now Campbell is running for Dade County commissioner to replace the incumbent who dared criticize the goings-on at Club Body Center.

Campbell is annoyed that Golding returned his money:

“I find it strange (that) a woman who was married to a man with a strange background is now holier-than-thou about political contributions.”

Dan McAllister, Golding’s campaign manager, said the money was returned because the campaign decided it was not “logical” for someone from Miami to contribute to a San Diego campaign.

McAllister said the campaign did not know about Campbell’s background and that he had listed himself only as an “investor.”

In San Diego, Campbell has given to several candidates in recent years, including Navarro, Lynn Schenk, Valerie Stallings and Bob Filner.

In fact, on the same day Campbell got his contribution back from Golding, there was a message from the Filner campaign on his answering machine asking if he’d be interested in making a further contribution.

Tales of Perot and Quayle

Politics, real and fake.

* An ad in the National Enquirer offers unspecified “dirt on Perot” for $5 and lists a post office box for T & T Enterprises in Carlsbad.

For $5, you get a crude drawing of Ross Perot covered with mud. Caption: “Dirt on Perot.”

I know this because Margot Sheehan, a writer for the San Diego Reader, took a chance and sent in her $5. She’s disappointed in the Perot dirt.

“Only the ears look like him.”

* At big trade shows, companies will do anything to get noticed.

At the TeleCommunications Assn. show now at the Convention Center, MICOM Communications Corp. of Simi Valley has hired actor/comedian John Roarke (“Naked Gun 2 1/2”) to do his President Bush imitation.

The company is covering all bases: Roarke is also doing Bill Clinton.

* The Murphy Brown party given Monday by San Diego abortion rights activists promised “Quayle ale.”

What? “Really light with no head.”