Candidate drops out of State House race

With Bob Einbinder retiring from the District 48 race, political newcomer Chris Gregg becomes the lone challenger to state Rep. Gus Bilirakis.

By ED QUIOCO

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 28, 2000

OLDSMAR -- A write-in candidate who filed at the last minute to run against state Rep. Gus Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, said Thursday that he plans to withdraw from the race as abruptly as he got into it.

Bob Einbinder, a retired hospital administrator who lives in Palm Harbor, jumped into the race for State House District 48 just before the filing deadline last week. The race currently is between Bilirakis, Einbinder and Chris Gregg, a political newcomer with no party affiliation.

Einbinder, 57, declined to say why he is withdrawing so soon after qualifying.

"The reason for me getting on the ballot . . . is now moot and I'll be withdrawing," he said. "It was a very good reason. I will probably be backing (Gregg) and hopefully giving him some of my time, and let's see if we can't get Gus Bilirakis on the stage and debate him."

Einbinder, a registered Democrat, said that when he filed to run he was uncertain whether Bilirakis would have any competition.

If Bilirakis had run unopposed, he would have had to dispose of his campaign contributions within 90 days of the race being decided. According to state elections laws, unopposed candidates can, among other things, return contributions, donate funds to non-profit organizations or pass the contributions on to their party or to other candidates.

Bilirakis has already amassed about $60,000 for his campaign and has spent about $17,000. Gregg has raised about $2,000 and has spent about $480.

Bilirakis, the son of longtime U.S. Rep. Michael Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, is going for his second term in the Legislature. Bilirakis, 37, graduated from Tarpon Springs High School, the University of Florida and received a law degree from Stetson in 1989.

"I just want people to know that I'm accessible and that I'm there for them," said Bilirakis, who described himself as a conservative Republican. "People have a voice with me and if someone can sit down and talk to me about a particular issue, obviously I am willing to listen."

After Einbinder withdraws, Bilirakis' only opponent will be Gregg, who lives in Palm Harbor and graduated from Gaither High School in Tampa. Gregg is in the process of receiving a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida. He was in the Air Force Reserve from 1991 to 1998 as a flight medic.

"I'm just a concerned citizen who got fed up," said Gregg, who has a twin brother. "No one is asking these difficult questions and no one is finding solutions. Someone needs to make a difference because the average person is not represented."

Gregg, 30, is a marketing representative for Med Tech Labs in Clearwater. Gregg was a member of the Reform Party but decided to run without a party because he said he could be a better representative if he didn't have to deal with party politics.

- Staff writer Ed Quioco can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or at quioco@sptimes.com.

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