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Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2001

Gary Garron, the former deputy treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, filed papers in Tallahassee, the state capital, that will enable her to open a campaign bank account and hire campaign staff. A more formal announcement is expected in a few weeks as her campaign gets organized.

Reno, 63, who served eight years as attorney general under former President Bill Clinton, has been hinting for months she would run and has made several campaign-like appearances throughout the state.

She met with reporters in front her her home in Miami-Dade County, where she was state attorney for 15 years.

"Today I'm moving forward to run for governor," she said. Asked if she was now an official candidate, she replied, "Yes, I am."

As many as six Democrats had been planning to run for the nomination in the primary a year from now. The two most serious are former Rep. Pete Peterson, D-Fla., a former ambassador to Vietnam, and Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa.

Recent polls have shown that Reno has an overwhelming lead over any Democrat opponent but trails Bush by 10 to 15 percentage points.

If Reno wins, she would become the first female governor, although the state had a woman, Paula Hawkins, as a U.S. senator in the 1970s. Reno was the first female attorney general.

She has problems that could cost her votes. In 1995 she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease - which can lead to dementia - but has said her doctors have given her clearance to campaign for governor.

She also is the target of scorn from Miami's Cuban-American community for the way that she handled the Elian Gonzalez case last year.

The federal government and a Miami family were involved in a legal tug of war over the boy until Reno approved a heavily armed raid by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which seized the child at gunpoint and turned him over to his father and an eventual return to communist Cuba.

Other controversies marked her term in the Clinton administration, including the deadly seige of the Branch-Davidians near Waco, Texas, and her failure to investigate the Chinagate campaign fund-raising scandals of Clinton and his vice president, Al Gore.

Her pluses could be a chunk of the women's vote and an energized black electorate in a state where come claim they did not get fair treatment in the 2000 presidential election won by President Bush.

"Over the past three months, I've talked with people all across Florida and shared my vision for the future," Reno said in a statement.

"I want to build the best education system in the nation, protect the environment and stand up for our elders. People tell me they share my vision and are looking for strong, independent leadership," she said.

Bush has already announced his candidacy and has begun having fund-raisers. He raised about $20 million in getting elected in 1998 and can count on plenty of help from the White House and Republican National Committee next year. Observers in both parties consider Jeb Bush's re-election campaign in 2002 an early indication of President Bush's own strength two years later.

Next year's race will be different in another way. There will be no primary runoffs, so the leaders of the first round on Sept. 10 will get the party nominations.

This is especially helpful to Reno, who is better known than any of her five major Democrat opponents. But it also gives Bush the luxury of holding back his money, because he has no serious GOP opposition, and spending heavily on TV in the final weeks of the general election.

Parkinson's Disease

According to "Dementia in Parkinson's Disease," an article by Abraham Lieberman, M.D. and available through National Parkinson Foundation:

"Dementia, a global decline in intellect, is among the most feared complications of Parkinson disease. The behavioral consequences of dementia can be painfully obvious. Patients may be confused, disoriented, unable to be left alone. They may be agitated, delusional, moody, and disinhibited. They usually can't sleep at night, and can't stay awake during the day. They may be incontinent of urine and stool."

In a review of eight reports from neurology journals, 27 percent of the 1,907 patients studied were demented; of 121 patients ages 65-69, 6.1 percent were demented.

According to the Associated Press, Reno's doctors said in July that the disease should not prevent her from seeking the office.

"Her doctors said she takes two medications daily and has not shown any side effects. One of her neurologists, Dr. William Koller of the University of Miami, said she responds well to medication and is healthy," AP said.

"We always tell the patient, one, they need to stay active, and minimize the effect of the disease. When they're engaged and have goals, they just do better in general," Koller told the St. Petersburg Times.

People with Parkinson's also need to avoid pushing themselves too far, he said.

Parkinson's disease causes worsening degeneration of brain neurons that control muscle movements. The most visible sign of her disease is her trembling arms and masklike face.

Copyright 2001 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

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