Using their clout as elected officials, some of Broward County's most powerful women spent Tuesday
evening telling voters why they should vote for -- or against -- the March 8 slot machine referendum.
A raucous debate at a Hollywood Democratic club and a more staid hors d'oeuvres-and-cocktails event
at the Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce began the public campaign over whether to allow slot
machines at five racetracks and two jai-alai frontons in Broward and Miami-Dade counties.
''A lot of us will say we are not gamblers,'' said pro-slots Hallandale Beach Mayor Joy Cooper, in front
of more than 200 people at the Hollywood forum. ``But I think the mayor of Hollywood and the City
Commission that [took a stance against slots] are taking a very bad gamble.''
The arguments focus on whether allowing 10,000 slot machines in the two counties would mean more
jobs, economic development and money for schools -- or minimal new money and lots of new problems.
''My opposition is not a moral issue,'' said Broward County Mayor Kristin Jacobs, who faced her
County Commission colleague Ilene Lieberman in a friendly back-and-forth in front of about 45 people
in Fort Lauderdale. ``My opposition is against the deal itself.''
The pro-slots campaign claims that slots could generate as much as $500 million for Florida schools.
Broward's share of that could be about $46 million, Lieberman said.
''That's real money that can be used to pay teachers a better salary, it can be used to build schools, it
can be used to fund pre-kindergarten,'' Lieberman said.
Opponents of slots, including Hollywood Mayor Mara Giulianti, argue that voters don't know what
they're getting yet. The Legislature still must clarify how to regulate slot machines and how much to
tax them.
''Read between the lines,'' Giulianti said in Hollywood. ``Broward County is not guaranteed one
quarter.''
The March 8 election is expected to draw few voters in the two counties. More people are expected to
cast ballots in Broward, where voters in 19 cities also have municipal elections.
Tuesday night's events began the official ratcheting up of the short campaign season, although the
pro-slots side has been using its $3.7 million campaign account for weeks to poll potential voters, call
them, visit them at home, send them mail, and advertise on television.
The loose coalition of anti-slots activists has so far relied more on community forums like those
Tuesday night, as well as the grass-root connections of their partners with animal-rights groups and the
Christian Coalition, which is passing out 100,000 voter guides.
Both Jacobs and Broward School Board Chairwoman Stephanie Kraft, another opponent of the
measure, have sent hundreds of e-mails staking out their position.
Kraft came under fire Tuesday by the pro-slots campaign for sending e-mails about the issue through
her School Board e-mail account. She defended the practice, saying the e-mail went to people who are
interested in education issues.
The e-mail highlights the uncertainty about how much tax revenue would be generated by slot
machines and how it might be spent.
Kraft said she was careful to make it clear that the School Board had taken no official position on the
slots issue, other than to ask that the district ''gets its fair share'' from the proceeds.
But both Kraft and Jacobs admit that their high-profile roles lend their opinions more stature.
'It is very much necessary for an elected official to stand up and say, `Here's the real truth of the
issue,' '' Jacobs said.
Still, Jacobs said she has been careful about separating her role as county mayor from her opposition
to the slots referendum. Her county office staff forwards e-mails about the issue to her private home
account, and she answers them from her personal computer.
As a county commissioner, she can't oppose a stated board position using her county e-mail, Jacobs
said, although the county attorney has told her it's acceptable to use county e-mail to explain an issue
to constituents.
The County Commission hasn't taken a position one way or another on slot machines, other than to
agree to put it on the ballot.