Rodstrom vs. Trantalis

     Yesterdays’ primary election for the Fort Lauderdale District II seat was mighty close.

               

     Former Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom came out ahead by only 128 votes over former Commissioner Dean Trantalis (Rodstrom 46% – Trantalis 41%). The turnout set a new low record for the District, at a dismal 8.63%, at a cost of $58 per voter. 

     Since no one reached 50% of the votes cast, there will be a run-off election in March. The third and fourth place finishers in yesterdays’ race, Chuck Black and Lester Zalewski, are eliminated – (Black 9% – Zalewski 3%), so only Rodstrom and Trantalis will be in the run-off.


            

     Rodstrom should be nervous. A poll, conducted by the Citys’ most established pollster, Jim Kane, a month before the election, showed Rodstrom would win handily. Kane said at the time that Rodstrom was “in the cat bird’s seat”,  but that certainly didn’t happen yesterday.

     Trantalis worked harder than Rodstrom during the short campaign, and momentum seems to be on his side.

     Rodstrom was saved by her own neighborhoods on Las Olas Blvd., where she walloped Trantalis 343 to 95 votes.

     Trantalis took most of the center of the District, his best showing in the Middle River Terrace neighborhood, where he trounced Rodstrom 82 to 28 votes. The beach was basically a tie, where both candidates are considered slow growth proponents.

     Rumors have it that both eliminated candidates, Black and Zalewski, will endorse Trantalis for the run-off, though that has not yet been confirmed.

                         Stay Tuned – Tim
    

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