Thieves hit Democrats' office
By Betty Parker

Lee County's Democratic headquarters had its second break-in in almost as many years this week.

Thieves ignored computer equipment and other valuables, and took the party's financial records and voter data, said Lyndia Bradley, Lee County's Democratic chairwoman.

"This was a very targeted, purposeful break-in," she said Wednesday. "They were obviously interested in certain things, not things you sell on the street for money."

Computers were vandalized, but there was no sign of forced entry.

The office is located on Park Meadow Drive in south Fort Myers.

Bradley said the office is not staffed daily this time of year, and she and others were last in the office March 1.

The theft was discovered Monday.

The party's headquarters had a similar break-in shortly before the 2004 elections when the office was in a different location near the intersection of Fowler Street and Colonial Boulevard.

Thieves vandalized the office and stole records and computers in that incident.

And just before the November 2004 presidential election, vans used to carry voters to register to vote, and cast early ballots had their tires slashed outside Kerry-Edwards headquarters in Royal Palm Square in Fort Myers.

The vans carried pro-Democrat signs and bumper stickers.

Democratic campaign worker Annie Estlund remembered that incident because she volunteered in that office.

"There's just been so much of this kind of thing," she said, recalling the office break-ins. "It's hard to think politics has come to this."

A mini-Watergate?