TOUSSAINT AD CAMPAIGN TURNS MOTORISTS' HEADS

He is a former Haitian senator and suspected killer who is banned
from the United States. But that isn't stopping Dany Toussaint from
seeking the Haitian presidency -- or making an appearance in South Florida.

Not to be outdone by the slew of Haitian presidential candidates who
have been appearing at campaign fundraisers and political rallies
here, Toussaint has decided to make his presidential pitch in a big way:

A life-size billboard bearing his image popped up this week on
southbound Interstate 95 near the Northwest 69th Street exit.

Decorated in the blue, red and white colors of Haiti's flag, the sign
reads: Dany Toussaint Haiti's Next President! Ensuring Security,
Health, Tourism, Education & Agriculture.

Toussaint's grand entrance onto the political scene in South Florida
has kept the airwaves of the Haitian community radio stations crackling.

'We haven't mentioned his name in weeks. Ever since the billboard,
people have been calling, 'Did you see it? Did you see it?' " said Ed
Lozama, host of a Creole-language morning radio talk show on Planet
17 (1700 AM). 'This is a grand way for him to say 'I am here,' too."

Jocelyn McCalla, head of the New York-based National Coalition for
Haitian Rights, couldn't stop laughing after hearing about the
billboard, joking that at least Toussaint "is spending good money here."

The billboard, he said, not only demonstrates that perhaps Toussaint
has a bit more money to spend than his competitors, but "it also
highlights the importance of the Haitian expatriate community,
particularly in the United States."

Though Haitian Americans are not allowed to vote in Haiti's upcoming
presidential elections, which have been postponed from Nov. 20 to
sometime next month, they can influence their family and friends back in Haiti.

Still, the mere fact that Toussaint is a presidential candidate
points to an even larger issue with Haiti's already problematic
elections, McCalla said.

A former Aristide ally who once headed the U.S.-trained interim
National Police force trained in the 1990s, Toussaint quickly became
a nefarious character, accused of drug trafficking by U.S. officials.

And in Haiti, he has been linked to several political assassinations
including that of Haiti's most prominent journalist, Jean Dominique.
He has never been charged, and the Dominique case remains unsolved.

Still, the implication put him on a U.S. State Department list of
Haitians "credibly alleged" to have committed "extra-judicial and
political murders" in Haiti, barring himfrom entering the United States.

He also was described by two members of U.S. Congress intelligence
committee as "credibly linked by a number of U.S. government agencies
to narcotics trafficking in Haiti."

"Dany Toussaint is just a symptom of a big problem that exists in
Haiti," McCalla said. "You don't have the institutions that can raise
a flag when folks like Toussaint or the others like him seek the
presidency. Toussaint is not the only person who has been involved in
corruption, illicit practices or even in perpetrating or
commissioning murders."

Toussaint did not return calls for comment, but in the past has
vehemently denied any involvement in drugs or assassination plots.

Lavarice Gaudin, a leading member of the pro-Aristide group Veye Yo,
who also hosts a South Florida Creole-language radio program, said he
also has been fielding calls about the Toussaint billboard. He too
finds Toussaint's candidacy mind-boggling.

"Under the Aristide administration the [U.S.] State Department asked
Aristide for Dany Toussaint's head as a drug dealer. So as soon as
they kidnap Aristide . . . Dany no longer becomes a drug dealer? Now
they accept Dany as a president for candidate in Haiti," he said.

"I don't understand the morality of the U.S. government," he said.

The State Department has not taken any public stance on the Haitian
presidential election.

Toussaint is among 35 candidates Haitian electoral authorities on
Friday approved in a revised presidential candidate list.

The list did not include Miami Lakes resident Samir Mourra, or Texas
millionaire Dumarsais Simeus. Both were excluded because they hold
U.S. passports.

Haiti's constitution bars anyone from running for president if they
have dual nationality and have not lived in the country for the past five years.