Tim Smith's Fort Lauderdale

     District IV  is the southern part of the city.

     It takes in most of the Downtown, the southern-most portion of the beach, and the 17th Street Causeway neighborhoods. It rolls through upscale Rio Vista and wanders past historic Sailboat Bend.
     Then it heads south and west up Davie Boulevard and ends up at the City’s southern boundary by the Fort Lauderdale International Airport.

     The seat has belonged to term-limited Commissioner Cindi Hutchinson for the past nine years. The race to decide her replacement seems close.

     Many race watchers think it might be boiling down to a match-up between Romney Rogers and Coleman Prewitt. 

                                          
                                                                                                             
                                               Rogers                             Prewitt        


     Rogers is old school,  Prewitt is the new comer.

     I’m supporting Prewitt. ………………..  and here’s why!

      
     ……….. Prewitt’s been very impressive on the campaign trail. He’s exceedingly bright, and has been demonstrating a solid grasp of all the issues. He talks about his ” four-point plan”, a road map for Fort Lauderdale’s future. And, he has the support of many of the neighborhood leaders in the District.
      I’ve  watched many of the debates, and interviewed both men, and in my opinion, Prewitt has stood out as the most  passionate, well prepared, and thoughtful candidate of the group.

     Rogers is also a most impressive citizen, and a sincere man. He has given much of his life to altruistic endeavors, but seems to represent the past of Fort Lauderdale instead of the future. He has been endorsed by political giants Jim Naugle and E. Clay Shaw. If Rogers wins, he will make a most capable Commissioner.

     Also in the race are Jim Lewis, a locally infamous attorney with a folksy anti-development campaign, and George Trodella, a local businessman who hasn’t seemed to catch much fire.

           ………….  thanks, I’ll be back with more soon! ……………….. Tim

     

    

     
    

     The City Elections are just one week away.
 
                                                                                        
                                                      ……………………….. (in Fort Lauderdale!)

      It starts with a Primary next Tuesday, February 10th, and if the candidates don’t reach at least 50% plus one, then the top two vote getters in each race move on to a General Election on March 10th.

     I’ve decided to tell you who I’m backing! ….. and why!

     It’s a most important election for Fort Lauderdale. Term limits kick in for the first time in Fort Lauderdale’s 98 year history (can everybody say thanks Tim! ) …. and at least a majority (3) of the City Commissioners will be brand – spanking new!
 
     Citizen leaders are talking new direction, vision, leadership.

     So even though it might be smarter and safer for me to sit back and see who wins, I decided it’s my responsibility and civic duty is to sound off. So here I go!

               ………  in the Mayor’s race

               
                  …..   I’m supporting Jack Seiler ……

     We have four choices to pick from, and in my humble opinion, Seiler stands out. Here’s why;

      First, …….. he has a substantial political track record, nearly blemishless. He has built himself a solid State-wide reputation as a respectful man, a team builder, and a capable public servant.
      After decades of the divisive, controversial, and combative Mayor, Jim Naugle,  Seiler seems to be the perfect counterpoint.  

     Second, …….. like all the King’s horses and all the King’s men, the pressure will quickly be on Seiler to pull the City back together again. To accomplish that, he’ll need to bring everyone to the table to find a way to settle some long standing flashpoints, not limited to  …….. how much development is the right amount for the City?, …… how do we make our diverse population feel included and respected?,   …… how do we bring the long suffering NorthWest into the success story called Fort Lauderdale?
      I think Seiler just might have the “right stuff”  to pull it off.  If he does, nothing will stop him from reaching even greater heights in the world of politics in the future.    

       We are lucky to have other Candidates of high caliber running for Mayor also. Let’s hope former Commissioner Dean Trantalis finds a way to stay involved and relevant if he doesn’t win. He’s quite capable, smart and has a devoted following.

     And Earl Rynerson has come a long way from near local obscurity to lightening rod in just a few short months. He should also stay involved if he doesn’t win. His gutsy demeanor, and passion to stop government from wasting tax dollars could come in quite handy over the next few years. 

     Steve Rossi found his voice late in the process, but came up with some interesting ideas.

              ……….. 

     I’ll be back to discuss the District Commissioner races next! …………. thanks, …. Tim

     

     


     

    

     It was the biggy.

     Fort Lauderdale’s ALL CANDIDATES forum sponsored by the Fort Lauderdale Council of Civic Associations.

     All 18 Candidates showed up, which was way impressive right from the get-go. Truth is, the Council, sometimes referred to as the Council of Trouble Makers, can be your best friend as a Politician, or something much less than that.

     Anyhow, last night, local all around talented trouble maker Cal Deal snapped these telling  photos and I fed them into the mind reading machine I conveniently keep right here, next to my computer.

     I’d like to know if the machine is accurate. Please send in your comments!

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                        Trantalis …… ” Hi all, I’m first in line … nanny nanny boo boo!”
                        Rynerson …..  “God I’m tired!”
                        Seiler ……  “Just don’t screw up..just don’t screw up!” 

              
                        

                            Crowd …. “damn it’s hot in here. let’s get the show on the road!”

                                                         
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                       Glassman …..  ” I specifically asked them to put Elfman between me and Charlotte!”
                  Roberts …….   ” my feet hurt!”
                  Elfman   ……..  ” boy, am I loving this!”
                  Teel  …………..  ” this Elfman is kinda cute!”


                                                                                                                                                                                                          

                      all the Mayoral Candidates ….  “OK, we’re listening, we’re listening!”


                                                                        &nbs
p;                                                                                                                                    

              all District III Candidates … “why are we the only damn black people in this room?”


                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                       Lewis …. ” I don’t care if I win…this is fun!” 
                       Rogers ….     ” I’m gonna smoke these guys!”
                       Trodella ….  “wait for me fellas!”


                                                                                                                                                                                               

             Jumbled thoughts spit out of the mind-reading machine! …. “thanks for being here Mom” ….  “stand tall, look Mayoral!” ….. “you love me, you really love me” ….. God, you’re short”…..  I think
I’ll have a Pina Colada when I get home”…. crap, I forgot to call the sign guy back!” “what the hell am I doing here! …………………………………………………….

      Been following the upcoming Fort Lauderdale City Elections?

     If you have, and like being entertained by Political Theatre, tonight’s Candidate Forum could be just the ticket!
     
                                                                        
                                                                 

      It will take place at Fort Lauderdale City Hall, 100 North Andrews Ave. in the first floor Commission Chambers at  7:00 P.M.

     It’s being sponsored by the  Fort Lauderdale Council of Civic Associations,  a group of the City’s neighborhoods and other Civic organizations.

     All of the Candidates for the open Mayor’s seat as well as the District Commissioner seats have been invited. That’s 18 Candidates total. 

     You can expect a mostly civil engagement, as so far, most of the underhanded, dirty politics are taking place surreptitiously ! 
                                              

     

                                                                      See you there! …..       Tim

      

    

     It is certainly not well known. Could even be considered confidential, clandestine, covert,  a well kept City Secret!

     That’s right, Fort Lauderdale Police Chief Frank Adderley has recently been caught on camera………


                          ……… On Patrol ! ….. just like a rank and file Patrolman!

                                                                        
                                                                                 
                                                          Adderley on Patrol
  
…..   Seems Adderley wants to keep a connection with the streets, and has been quietly checking out a Patrol Car and hitting the streets.

      Adderley, who joined the force as a Patrolman in 1980 and was promoted to Chief in May 2008,  was seen here on a recent Saturday morning in a NW part of the City checking up on the troops, and the streets. 

     Patrolling Police Chiefs are a rarity, made famous by now retired Charleston, South Carolina Police Chief Reuben Greenberg, a black Orthodox Jew, who suited up like a Patrolman every Wednesday and manned a foot patrol in Downtown Charleston. He is considered one of the early developers of the Community Policing model of Policing.

     When asked how he was able to find time to actually roll out as a Patrolman, Chief Adderley cracked “I have a lot more time on evenings and weekends then I used to”. Those that have followed Adderley’s rather unusual public history will understand his intended pun.

     So beware, if you get pulled over next week after crawling through that Stop Sign, it just might be the  Chief of Police with the ticket book! 

     
     
     
     
    

                                                     The Bad News    

So, …..  it’s just after Christmas, and I’m tooling down Sunrise Boulevard on my new (thrift store) bike, looking forward to my first ride on these fine wheels along our fabulous beach front when

                   BAM…CRASH….SMOKE…  

    …… two cars violently collide just a few feet from me and the bike. I’m shook, but jam on the brakes and hop off.
                                                                              
                                                                      
                                                                  not actual crash!
                                                                               
     The rear car was filling with smoke, the woman looked dazed and the kid in the front car (driving Daddy’s Lexus) was shrieking!

     I open the woman’s car door and ask if she can move. She shakes her head yes and I help her out. The kid bolts out of Daddy’s Lexus screamin “Oh My God,Oh My God” . It takes a minute, but I get him to chill. 
                                                           
                                                                                                                        
                                                        not actual screaming kid
    
    
     I call 911 .

     I feel good about my good deed, tell both drivers that the Cops are on the way, and turn back towards the sidewalk and 

                                             POOF ..
…… my new (thrift store) bike was gone ….amazing ….. just like that ……. damn thieves !!! 
                                         ………………………………………………………………..

                                                         The Good News

     The next day the story shows up in the Local section of the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, in a piece entitled “His Good Deed Comes at a Price”. They give me credit for my actions, but then rib me because I had yet to register the bike (even though I was the Commissioner who got the bike registration law passed).

     I take it all in stride. The next morning I read my e-mails and there’s an e-mail from TREK BIKES ( the bike that Lance Armstrong rides)!

     They say they read the story in the paper, felt awful, and were going to replace my bike (free of charge)!
      “Wow”, some company, I thought. I e-mailed back, and tried to talk them into adding another bike for a needy kid that got theirs stolen too ! (Pushy, I know!) But, to my amazement,they say OK, but we will have to settle for bikes with a maximum price of $600 each! OMG! …This tale was working out alright.

     So, today we got our new bikes. 
                                   
                                                        
  &nb
sp;                                                actual  bikes ( or should I say actual cadillacs!)

             …….  oh, and we got them registered right there at the bike shop!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
                                                           Proof of Registration!

 ..              ……….     maybe there’s hope for mankind after all!
                                               
                                                      
                                                                                                 
                                           
     
             

     

     


                                                               
    

     It’s one of those political races that leave “dull and boring” and cross over to “sharp and rancorous”!……..  And this weekend, this political battle reached ” boiling point”  with charges of “racism” , dereliction of duty, and illegal procedures!

      It started Friday night on “Execution Road” , a 3 block section of NW 8th Avenue , north of Sunrise Boulevard, in the western part of the neighborhood called South Middle River.  The street, formerly known as “Crack Alley”, due to it’s ever present drug sales, got it’s new name last month after a masked man shot three men in the back of their heads in the middle of the street. One of the men died. The culprit has not been found. The murder is suspected of being drug related.
                                                                           
                                                                        
                                     
                                      NW 8 th Avenue Roadside Memorial for Slain Man

                                                  ……………………………………………………………………
    The Political maelstrom pits the one-term (3 year),  incumbent Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, 
                                                                        

                                                                                                     against top Fort Lauderdale Beach activist Steven Glassman, once a key supporter of Rodstrom’s, who’s been labeling her as ineffective, incapable, and maybe worse! 
                                                                     
                                                                     

     The feisty race also sports dark horse candidate Howard Elfman, who has been quietly working the fringes. 
                                                                        
                                                                    
                                               …………………………………………………………………

       Friday night’s dust-up occurred during the “Crime Meeting”, a monthly meeting sponsored by  Rodstrom for her crime plagued NE/NW 13th Street corridor. 

     While Rodstrom was starting the meeting in the middle of the dark street, several men began circulating the crowd and loudly challenging her.

     They wore T-Shirts labeled   “Rodstrom = Racism”, and chastised her for only showing up on NW 8th due to the ongoing political campaign. They handed out flyers titled “Rodstrom Go Home” , and claimed, among other things, that she refused to attend a black community forum, and refused to respond to Urban League requests. Police had to intervene to calm down the situation. 
                                                           &nbs
p;                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
     Neighborhoods Residents Reacting at Meeting                       


     It was not evident that the Glassman campaign had anything to do with the meeting protesters, but some did reemerge later carrying Glassman campaign yard signs. 

     Later in the weekend, the Glassman campaign sent out a missive suggesting that Rodstrom’s Police Union endorsement might be “ illegal”, since only Rodstrom had the opportunity to interview with the FOP. It asked voters to call Union Chief Jack Lokeinsky and him if he thought he could “get away with it”.

     The Primary is just over two weeks away, and more fireworks can be expected to rain down. Cover your head, and stay tuned! 

      
                                                       




                                                        

             
                       
     

    

     When we last talked, I was preparing for a road trip to see Barack Hussein Obama become the first Halfrican-American President of the United States.

                                     
     My wife Cindy and I were early supporters of his, believe that he will make a difference, and wanted to be part of the excitement.

     And we made it. And we were part of the excitement, but only an itty-bitty teeny-weenie little part !… Here’s what I mean.
     
                                     

                           

     That’s me with the double knit cap, six layers of thermals and a scruffy beard ! … OK, quit looking, you’ll never find me!
                                 …………………………………………………………
     So it was kind of like Woodstock, in spirit, and size, but lacked the drugs and the mud. And it covered all generations, had one specific purpose, and was over in just a few hours. A few, very cold hours!

     But the people were fine!  ………. all two million of them!  … We met folks from San Francisco, New Orleans, Ohio, Philadelphia, Michigan, Los Angeles, Georgia, fellow Floridians, even a smattering of Canadians, Haitians, Jamaicans, and a lone Republican. 

     We parked about ten miles outside of the City and took their wonderful Metro in. Then we walked, and walked ,and walked.


                                                      

     We made it to the Washington Monument…. Only 15 blocks more and we could be right up there rubbing elbows with Barack and Michelle, Malia and Sasha !… But it was not to be. About one million of the folks had trekked in before us, so we just settled in for the show. 


                                      

                  We could see the Capitol, where Obama was sitting, and we had some binoculars, so we tried to zero in on the Obamas, but this is all we got.

            
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

      But we felt content. All two million of us! Obama was the new President. Our Country felt renewed.

     We shuffled off through the streets of the Nations Capital, Mission Accomplished, and ever so slowly made our way to our cars, our cities, our lives. 

     We’ll have a story for the grand kids.

     Good Luck to America.

                                
     

     

    

         ing   ….  A new pastime! … Just this week alone, over 2500 of you have visited this site…..  Thanks!   …. You’ve been reading about the upcoming City Elections in Fort Lauderdale. Buzz is beginning to build!

     . Conducting the Voter Polling was quite interesting, but difficult.  But it’s a good poll, scientific. Of course, those that didn’t fare well say the poll is bogus, and those that did fare well are pointing to it as proof of their viability! …..Politics !  ….  Truth is, we won’t really know who is going to win until election day!

      In case you are wondering, we don’t have results for  District III. It’s the poorest community, and unfortunately, we didn’t get enough completed surveys in that District to justify valid analysis.

      We wish all the candidates in all the Districts good luck, and thank them all for opening themselves up to the scrutiny and abuse of the citizenry!  
                            ……………………………………………………………………………………………….

                                             Some facts about this blog

     It’s been one year since I posted my first entry at  “Tim Smith’s Fort Lauderdale” and as you have noticed, I’m having a ball. And by the way, you guys crack me up!

             Here are some stats: 
      
     ………over 53,000 people entered the blog this year  (or my mother is just really trying to help!)

     ………80 of you subscribe to the blog ,it’s free, (and you’ll get all new posts automatically)

     …….. we shared 98 blog posts with you, comprising 58,647 words. 

     …….. The most popular posts dealt with politicians who said insane things or had hidden rap  
              sheets….. Nearly as popular were the posts dealing with wealthy politicians, the Police   
              and their Chiefs, and the ongoing saga of the local crackhead felons …… AKA –
              The Railroad Gang. You also seemed to really enjoy the “Just for Fun” category.
            
              If you have some ideas about things you think I should be covering, send me a private e-mail to Tim@TimSmith.com 

      OK, Cindy and I are off to D.C. to brave the weather and see (from a distance) our 44th President 
              
              sworn in……….  We’ll take photos to share….See you next week…. Tim
                 

     
      

     

      

      

     Now this one looks close!

     It pits City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom, wife of County Commissioner John Rodstrom, against the Central Beach Alliance President Steven Glassman. A third candidate, businessman Howard Elfman is trailing somewhere back in the pack.
                       
                                         VS.                                                
                    Rodstrom and Rodstrom                                             Glassman

     The ironic thing about this race is that Glassman was instrumental in Rodstrom’s triumph to the Commission seat just three years ago. In that race, Glassman and other beach activists turned out an enormous beach vote for Rodstrom and she came from behind to beat Jon Albee in the General Election. Glassman now says “he was wrong”. In his campaign appearances, he says that Rodstrom is ineffective and divisive, and says she needs to go.

     But Rodstrom is part of a political dynasty, a winning one, and all stops seem to be being pulled to orchestrate her re-election. Husband John is raking in the dough for her and Rodstrom is bicycling her way across the District stomping for votes.

     Here’s what our survey showed”

     It’s close.

     First off, Rodstrom has gigantic name recognition in her District at 94%, where Glassman is only at 45%. He will need to reach far more “Super Voters” by Election Day in order to win.  Rodstrom’s Positive Number is 67% and Glassman’s is 58%, but Glassman’s “hard positives” (the die-hard supporters) is 50%, where Rodstrom’s “hard positives” fall slightly behind at 48%. 

     On the negative side, Rodstrom’s “hard negatives” (folks that will probably vote against her no matter what) is at a troubling 17%, compared to Glassman’s 7%.

     Elfman doesn’t seem to have made an impact yet, with a name recognition at only 22%.

     This is a race to watch!