Mayoral Money Mounts !

     It’s shaping up to be the biggest Mayoral Money Showdown in the history of Fort Lauderdale.

     With the end of the Jim Naugle era quickly approaching, the four men that are seeking the Fort Lauderdale Mayoral seat are expected to report  funds collected  at well over $250,000 ! This will set a record for the City, and it will be done with one of the most restrictive Campaign Finance Laws in the country.
      Donations in Fort Lauderdale are restricted to people only. That means Corporations, PACS, Unions etc. cannot donate. Also, the maximum contribution is $250, where most cities allow up to $500 in contributions.  

                                                                    
                                                             Goodbye Jim

     The normal turnout for Mayoral primaries in Fort Lauderdale is generally only around 10,000 people, (though the population is at about 175,000) and if that holds for this election, each and every voter will have at least $25 spent on them to secure their vote. 

     The cash leader, so far, might be former State Representative Jack Seiler. Though he trailed former Lt. Colonel Earl Rynerson at the end of the 2008 third quarter campaign reports (Rynerson had $90,000 total, with $12,000 raised and $77,000  loaned to his campaign ), Seiler now reports about $130,000 in total funds raised, and no loans. The Third Quarter reports had Trantalis far behind at $16,000 and Rossi at about $3000.

                                                                             
                                           Seiler                                                Rynerson  

     The other campaigns were unavailable this morning to report on their current totals, but some sources speculate that Trantalis might have done much better in this quarter’s money race. 

     The piles of cash means the candidates will all reach out in every possible way. Two camps have verified television commercials, one is talking billboards, and the usual mailers have already begun to trickle in.

     So stay tuned, and clear out your mailboxes. The madness will start in earnest soon!

            

      

     

     

     

    

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