Tim Smith's Fort Lauderdale

     His name is Robert Walsh, and he says he is considering a run against incumbent Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler. He has said he will decide by June.

     He is a well known character around City Hall, attends many of the Commission meetings, and often spars with the Mayor.

He is also well known to the Law Enforcement Community.

Walsh’s criminal record spans from 2001 to 2007 and includes arrests for Grand Theft, Criminal Mischief, Resisting, Disorderly Conduct, and  DUI. You can hire lawyers for criminal defense charges , from here!

Walsh spent 23 days in jail in 2003.

Walsh doesn’t dispute the record but says he would like to be “judged for what I do today, not what I did ten years ago”.

Walsh also said “there’s a thing called redemption and starting over”, and that he has “paid his debt to society”.

I asked him if the voters should take his past criminal record into account and he said that he knows it will be “open season” , and then added that the voters should, ” but what’s the difference [ with the current politicians] and their gross mismanagement of government”.

I’ll keep you posted if Walsh or others get in the race.    ……..  Tim

     The City Manager Search Committee, tasked with narrowing down the list of applicants for Fort Lauderdale’s new City Manager position, has just reduced the field to the six finalists.

     Initially, nearly 100 people applied for the job that will surely pay in the $200,000, plus much more range.

     The current Manager, Allyson Love, has been holding the position temporarily and did not apply for the permanent post.

                                     
                                    soon to be, former, temporary City Manager!

    

                                                The six finalists are


   
  Michael Levinson- former City Manager of Coral Springs. Levinson, who was earning $214,000 yearly,  resigned last fall after two City Commissioners were re-instated after being vindicated of sunshine law violations. 
    
     Word had it that the Commissioners were angry with Levinson over their problems, and Levinson was going to feel their pain. 

     Coral Springs has 750 employees and a yearly budget of 100 million.




Daniel Kleman – currently a “Special Assistant” to the Mayor of Jacksonville, Fla., and was their former Fire Chief prior to that. Kleman was a 20 year manager in Tallahassee before going to work in Jacksonville.




James Hartmann – current City Manager of Alexandria, Va. , former official In Orange County, Fla..  Hartmann announced in January that he was resigning to “explore other job opportunities”, probably in Florida.

     Alexandria has a budget of $531 million, similar to Fort Lauderdale’s. Alexandria recently revived it’s “red light camera” program, after having to cancel it due to a 42% increase in accidents.




Pasquale “Pat” Digiovanni – currently the Deputy City Manager of San Antonio, Texas. San Antonio is the 7th largest city in the nation, 1.3 million people. It’s famous for it’s very successful Riverwalk ( and the Alamo!).




Matthew Fertal – current City Manager of Garden Grove, Calif.. Garden Grove is one mile from DisneyLand, and is known for it’s high-end hotels, restaurants, and destinations. Fertal currently earns $250,000 in salary.




Lee Feldman – current City Manager of Palm Bay, Florida. Feldman was formally the manager of North Miami. 


     The City Manager search committee, made up of a former City Commissioner ( not me !), the Chamber of Commerce head, the former Budget Committee Chair, and other important citizens, say they have worked well as a committee, and are looking forward to the Commission finishing the process.

      Stay Tuned … Tim

     A few posts back, we were talking about the upcoming Fort Lauderdale Mayor and Commissioner elections coming up just around the corner in February 2012…

     We were waiting for word from the rest of the Commissioners and some challengers on whether they were running again, and that info is in….. so  …

         Here Goes !

    We reported that Mayor Jack ( John P. “Jack” Seiler), was running for re-election, and that Commissioners Roberts,  and Rodstrom were also running for re-election ( when they all weren’t snoozing LOL )……. 

     ….. and now we can report that …
                                             
                                                       Bobby Dubose

     has also decided to run for re-election. He has opened a campaign account, and he says………
 
       ” I’m running but haven’t set any official fundraisers yet  ….  not sure who the challengers will be…. I will leave it to the voters to decide” ….

    …. last time around, there was an open seat In Dist. III when Carlton Moore was term limited out, and 4 challengers vied for the seat that Dubose won…

      the closest competitor was long time city activist and consultant Pamela Adams

                                             

     When I asked Pam if she’d be running this time, she said NEVER ! ..I said NEVER? ….she said NEVER EVER! ( I think she meant it)

      There was also Nadine Hankerson ( I don’t think she’ll run, but I couldn’t find her to find out), and then there was Jimmy – 

                                      
                                            
                                Jimmy B. “O Glory” Witherspoon – local youth pastor

      No word from O’Glory either…

                     And in District IV


                      

       Commissioner Romney Rogers is also running for re-election. Rogers said ” it has been a privilege and honor to represent the district I grew up in and the City I love. If the voters will have me, I would be honored to serve again”.

     In the picture above Rogers stands above Coleman Prewitt, his closest competitor in the last election. I didn’t hear back from Coleman, but a close associate of his told me that he doesn’t think Prewitt has “ruled out another run”.

     A big issue in the 2009 District IV race was Roger’s strong religious faith, and whether he would color his legislating with his Baptist faith. He hasn’t.

                            

     I ran this graphic masterpiece from District IV activist Cal Deal then and it nearly crashed my blog site. Over 5000 people looked at that post in a matter of days.

     Also rans in district IV include Jim Lewis, infamous local lawyer that might run as he runs for office about every 4 years regardless, and George Trodella, who probably won’t.

     I’ve heard a smattering of other rumors, but nothing to report at this point.

    



     




     

     

 

     Some are speculating that former Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson is having a prosecution – induced religious conversion. (see picture below).

                               

     Not true. Hutchinson has been loyal to her church and her church duties as long as I’ve known her. 

     And if that affords you any help, now’s a good time for her to tap it!

 

     In what some experts are fearing might bring a total shutdown to Fort Lauderdale City Hall, a suspected rough case of the dreaded politicianarcolepsy virus seems to be sweeping the Commission Chambers!

     It all started innocently enough.

     As a matter of fact, it was initially misdiagnosed as common exhaustion –

             

     After all, he gets up daily at 6 am, practices law all day, spends his lunch hours cutting ribbons/riding floats and kissing babies, and is said to always stay up late, if not at Commission meetings, then heading home, drinking dark beer and watching basketball!

     But then it began to spread!

     Now Commissioner Romney Rogers is said to have the power to put people into a deep sleep, but now he’s getting a dose of his own medicine!

            
                                                     He even talks in his sleep !

      
           Then it hit Commissioner Bobby Dubose, the youngest of the Commissioners! …

                                  
                                               …. but didn’t spill a drop!


      And the experts knew the virus was getting serious when this happened!

                    
                             Even Rodstrom  went down for the count!


       Mayor Seiler reviewed all the evidence trying to decide what action to take…. He  concluded it might not be all that bad after all….

      He told the press today that some good can always come out of even the most desperate situations!


                     

     The crowd must have been much bigger than the City officials expected tonight for the City’s 100th Birthday Bash on the Fort Lauderdale Beach.

                             

                                          
      It was jammed packed on the sidewalks north of Las Olas on A1A right from the beginning. The Fort Lauderdale Police were trying their best, but were having trouble keeping the people out of the street  –  and the people just kept coming, and coming, and so did the cars! It didn’t look good.

      Something had to give.

     And it all happened rather peacefully, almost like it was planned ( but it wasn’t !) – the Bahamian Junkanoo Band started to dance their way across the road in their giant colorful headdresses, and 100’s of people followed in line right behind them!

     Then, those 100’s of people decided they’d rather stay right there in the road, and another few hundred joined right in!  There would be no more cars crossing A1A tonight!

               

      The police deserve a lot of credit. They could of made it a bad scene, but they didn’t.

     They scrambled. Traffic cones and barricades were quickly reworked, snarled traffic was fed off the beach. Wayfinding signs were relocated before you could say Jack Robinson!

     I asked a Sergeant standing nearby what the hell happened. ” A1A should have been closed to traffic tonight”.

     Now that was the understatement of the night!

    

     It seems like just yesterday when the rogue, wildman, despot was ordered out!
 
     No, I’m not talking about Gadaffi,  I’m talking about long time Mayor Jim Naugle, who finally left City Hall after 25 years, due to term limits, and a new Mayor and new Commissioners were elected, just over two years ago.

                                                                
                                                              ousted tyrant

     Well, it’s almost that time again. Yes, less than a year from now, February 2012, the City will have a chance to vote for a Mayor and their Commissioners again ….

                                            This is what I know so far

              Mayor

   
     Current Mayor Jack Seiler  is running, though he has not yet opened his campaign account.

     A local gadfly, Robert Walsh, ( no picture could be found!)  has been hinting that he will challenge Seiler, though he should save some skin and stay home!

     Of those that ran for the Mayor’s spot last time around – former Commissioner Dean Trantalis  (here with Hillary!), has said no, no no no, fogetaboutit, don’t even think about it, leave me alone and ….. you have dialed a number that has been disconnected !! ( I think that means he’s not running!)

     Steve Rossi, the lawyer who says more people sit on his face (his lawyer advertisements are on bus benches and other street furnitures) , couldn’t be reached for comment  .. is he running? ..who knows?


     And last but not least  Earl Rynerson, the Seiler thorn and budget hawk blogger,  says there will be no need for him to run if Seiler substantially reduces the budget to an appropriate size for a city of our size ( I don’t know, but I bet that means that he will run).

     If anyone has heard of anyone else who has been talking about running for Mayor, please let me know!

     District I

     Current Commissioner Bruce Roberts is running, but hasn’t opened a campaign account yet.
 Roberts is excited about running for re-election. He says the “team” is working well together, has met it’s commitments, but needs to work more on economic development and neighborhood enhancement in the next term.

      Of those that ran for District I Commission last time, former incumbent Christine Teel has vanished without a trace, 

           and 2009 challenger Inger Garcia says she will be supporting Roberts this go around, but doen’t want people to count her out altogether in the future.

                                           
                                                         lawyer, Inger Garcia

     District II

     Incumbent Charlotte Rodstrom is running for re-election, and has opened her campaign account. 
  She says “the voters will decide if she’s earned another term”. She said she is passionate about the job and is really enjoying public service. 

     The person that came closest to Rodstrom last time, beach activist Steve Glassman, said that he has not heard any rumblings about a challenger for Rodstrom, and says “that is sad”.      
     He says in a democracy, people should always have a challenger, but that “running against Rodstrom is actually running against two incumbents” ( her and her County Commissioner husband John Rodstrom).

                                                      &n
bsp;
                                                            Glassman

     Glassman also quoted President McKinley’s political advisor ” there are two things important in politics, money, and I can’t remember the other one”!

     Another former District II candidate Howard Elfman says he will be “supportive of a good solid candidate, but will not be running this time around”

                                                  
                                                     Howard Elfman


          OK, I’m still waiting for word from District IV incumbent Romney Rogers, and some former challengers in Districts 3 and 4, so tune in again next time 

                           ……….   for the rest  of the story !   …Tim
  

                

     So, what’s the latest on the Fort Lauderdale Beach ?

     We’ve been hearing that our infamous Spring Break crowds were coming back with a vengeance, so we went down to take a look !

                          
                                            Where the Boys Are !
  
     It was dark, but there was no mistaking our famous Elbo Room.
 
     I thought the crowd looked light, but the wife and our friend Marge reminded me that it was only 8pm! ( I had forgotten that the college kids were still in their hotel rooms, just waking from the daytime beer chugging, busy pruning and primping themselves, readying for another round.

     We walked on, scoping the scene.

                         

     We came across two Brits, John and Trisha, from Lancashire. John is a security specialist, Trisha a pharmacist ( she had never heard of our pill mills problem!).

     Well, they certainly weren’t college kids, but they were younger than me, so I did some more investigation.

     They were only in Fort Lauderdale for a couple of days, had been in L.A. for a week, and didn’t think Fort Lauderdale would “be much”, but were pleasantly surprised. 

     They said they had eaten at the Casablanca, and were staying at the Westin on the beach ( they had gotten a good deal of $90 off of Priceline). Their only complaints about our town were an overflowing trash bin at the WaterTaxi, and a “rude, ignorant Haitian taxi driver that wouldn’t stop texting”.

     Next we found this !!

                    

     Abby, Ellen, and Kelli (with an i   … she wanted me to get the spelling right).

     They were delightful, from Kentucky (the southern girls with the way they talk……)  

     Abby had a blog herself ( on decorating) and all of them were college kids at Louisville. They loved Fort Lauderdale, said it was beautiful, sunny, and most importantly, had no snow.

     Their only complaints about the locals were that they should drive slower, and the boys were always hitting on them.

     Imagine that !
    

      The Riverwalk Board of Directors officially replaced their former Executive Director (and former City Commissioner) Cindi Hutchinson on Friday, by offering the job of Executive Director to well-known city activist Genia Ellis.

     Ellis had been serving as Interim Director for the last 30 days while the Board struggled with what to do with Hutchinson, after she had been arrested for public corruption. The Board had put Hutchinson on administrative leave with pay, ( Hutchinson had been making about $75,000 per year). Hutchinson officially resigned on Friday.

     Hutchinson is still awaiting trial in the public corruption case. Some local rumors have it that Hutchinson has already turned down an offer of 30 months in jail. She has been proclaiming her innocence, but I could not reach her for comment ( I know you’re shocked at that!).

                                   
                                  Hutchinson in better days accepting a check for $15,000 from
                                             Chris Gaus of the Las Olas Association for it’s part of the purchase
                                             of  multi space parking meters

     The Riverwalk Board decided to offer the job for now to Ellis, and not make any moves including a national search for a minimum of 90 days. It’s possible that Ellis will receive a longer contract to run the Trust after the 90 days is up.

     

     I spoke with a member of the Fort Lauderdale – Food Not Bombs group on the phone today. I’ll tell you what he told me in just a sec.

Food Not Bombs are one of the key players in the homeless feedings in Stranahan Park, and live in a “communal house” in the South Middle River Civic Association area.

The house has been a real problem for South Middle River, and the neighborhood President, Sal Gatanio, has been pushing the City to do something about it.

The Swamp

I called Sal to see what the problem was with the house (  FNB affectionately calls the residence the “Swamp Collective House”).

Sal was quite upset. “It’s filthy Tim, yard totally trashed out, windows blown out, pit bulls in the yard.
Sal took one short breath and continued on …. ” people sleep on the roof for God’s Sake, and the inside walls are covered in graffiti!”

I asked Sal how he knew the inside walls were covered with graffiti.

” I told you Tim, the freakin windows are blown out !!”.

So, today I talked with Hunter, who lives in the Swamp. I had put in calls to all the numbers I could find associated with Food Not Bombs, and was glad someone was calling me back.

I found Hunter to be a pleasant young man, who says he understands the neighborhoods’ concerns. He says he and his group are concentrating on feeding the homeless and fixing the world, and probably let the house go. He said the windows were going to be fixed this week, and people from My House Painter firm were supposed to be painting the house today.

But he wouldn’t make any promises about stopping the roof sleeping !

Stay Tuned ….  Tim