My Pick – District II

     Yesterday, I gave you my pick for Mayor – Jack Seiler.

     Today, let’s talk about my pick for the Fort Lauderdale District II seat.

     This is the seat I held for six years, and consider it one of the most fulfilling ( though difficult) times of my life.
     
     Here are your choices for this term –
 

                     
                        Rodstrom               Ferber              Zalewski

     Let’s discuss them like the Chinese would do – right to left !

     Lester Zalewski – The new guy from the beach.

     Zalewski’s efforts to unseat the incumbent have been the strongest among the competition. He started with a creative YouTube Ad campaign, using his unusual last name as the predicate.

     Then Zalewski put up some signs here and there (a few were destroyed), and now he’s giving Rodstrom a run for her money with Vote Zalewski T.V. commercials.
 
     And then there was this, just outside my house this morning !! 


                   

     Yikes…I’m glad I had already had my coffee !

     It’s clear Zalewski thinks Rodstrom should go. Along with many other beach residents, Zalewski says Rodstrom has shut them out of the picture, and decides for herself what’s best for the beach. 

     But troubling for his candidacy, Zalewski draws criticism himself from many of his neighbors at the beach, for what they describe as a checkered local history and an acerbic public style.  

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     Michael Ferber – A very interesting guy, self taught, very bright. 

     But his candidacy is odd!

     Michael is running on a platform of ….” I’m not only not going to give you anything new, I’m going to take away half of the things you already have!”…

     Rumors abound that Ferber is also a fake candidate (a crimi), put up by Rodstrom to force a primary, but Ferber strongly denies that.

     Ferber should be running for Congress, under the Tea Party banner. I doubt he’ll get many votes for the job of local City Commissioner (I certainly couldn’t vote for him), but Ferber could certainly match wits with Congressman West!

                              ……………………………………………..

     Charlotte Rodstrom – the incumbent.

     The best choice to serve District II for the next three years.

                                         
     Rodstrom works harder than all the other Commissioners. She’s wealthy and unemployed, so she gets up every day and begins to serve her constituents  (unless she’s in North Carolina!). I’ve always been able to reach her quickly.

     But Rodstrom is controversial. She began her first term telling everyone she was against development, but now embraces much of it. 

     To her credit, Rodstrom has focused a lot of attention on the most needy part of her District ( South Middle River), and has kept her word about pushing through a CRA for that general area ( and keeping her husband on board at the County level!)  Unfortunately, much of that area is still struggling.

     Rodstrom does have some bad habits that people whisper about and should be mentioned publicly. She often interrupts her colleagues during meetings, and sometimes disrespects those fellow Commissioners.
 
     She has also adopted the Jim Naugle model ” I think I’ll vote against most everything and let it pass, and then go around town, and if an effort fails, I can say  -” I voted against that “- and that – and that! That’s not healthy for the City, and not fair to her colleagues.

     Rodstrom is term limited, if she wins, this will be her last term as City Commissioner, (even though her husband has been trying to kill term limits at the county level)…….

     Still, I say-  Vote Rodstrom ( but just this last time!) 

                                       Tim