Update: Castillo’s Campaign May Be Revived
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Pembroke Pines City Commissioner Angelo Castillo is reconsidering.
Ten days after announcing he was ending his quest for county commission, Castillo said that he just might restart his campaign.
Castillo is questioning an earlier oral opinion from his lawyer that caused him to drop out of the race May 10. He asked for a written opinion from the Florida Ethics Commission whether he can run for county commission.
“I’m freezing everything until I find out from a formal ethics opinion whether I can run,” said Castillo.
If Tallahasee’s ethics police say there is no conflict between his job with a health agency that receives county funding and the county commission, he will restart his race.
My earlier story on Castillo’s decision to drop out is here.
Castillo said he decided to stop campaigning as soon as he got the oral decision from his lawyer. He said it would have been unfair “to go to a fund raiser or ask for support when I knew I might have to withdraw.”
Although he is now being second-guessed, I believe Castillo did the honorable thing. It would have been dishonest to campaign knowing at least one attorney thought he violated ethics laws by becoming a commissioner.
But since dropping out, Castillo was urged by supporters to reconsider his decision.
“I believe now I should get a formal ethics opinion, which I will receive on June 4. If that opinion changes the circumstance, I will reconsider,” Castillo said.
The uncertainty over Castillo has kept any other office holder from jumping into the race for the southwest Broward seat now held by retiring Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin.
May 19th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Please Iris Siple please file for this seat. We need someone who is above the judy stern type games we have seen from Castillo. Seems quite simple, the Commission pays his salary at Broward House how could he preside over his own salary. Poor Angelo is Judy working overtime to get you this seat or what?
May 19th, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Wow ol Judy aint giving up that seat without a fight. Even if you can run how are you going to explain how you can preside over the funding of your non for profit. I know, I know, it’s Broward anything can happen. This shows how desperate Judy is these days. On the outs with Rodstrom, Joe E in prison, the rest hate her, at least Lois still lets Judy come by for sleepovers.
May 19th, 2010 at 4:27 pm
This is good news. Angelo is the only one for the job.
May 19th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
Thanks Judy or Lisa
Love
A
May 19th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
Give it a rest Angelo. It’s public perception and passing the smell test that really matters. Getting another legal decision at this point is futile. It doesn’t pass the smell test.
May 20th, 2010 at 5:07 am
If he runs,he wins. But even with an opinion that there is not a conflict, I bet some day he will be hit with a complaint if he keeps his day job.
Wasn’t there a case years ago about a Coral Springs Commissioner who got in trouble, and lost, when the company he worked for (a brokerage firm) did business with the city.
I’m sure there are other examples. But the question is whether its worth knowing you WILL have to deal with a complaint. Most would say no.
At least he was smarter than most by asking first. But at best he has a split decision which isn’t much help. He’s on notice that he’s asking for trouble.
May 20th, 2010 at 6:35 am
There is no question that Castillo would be the best candidate for that job. In suspending his run he put the community ahead of his own desires. I am impressed with that and hope it works out for him. People should be allowed to make a living while serving as county commissioner so long as the two do not conflict. I hope the ruling tells him how that is possible so he can run again.
May 20th, 2010 at 8:04 am
I hope Angelo is able to run and win. He is intelligent and capable of making good decisions.
May 20th, 2010 at 8:15 am
As a County Commissioner he would have to recuse himself from voting on THE BUDGET – it contains funding for non-profits, including Broward House. Approving the budget is one of the Commission’s most important roles! That’s just the tip of the iceberg. I assumed when he said he was running that he would resign his position at BH.
Working on the County Commission is part-time. He doesn’t need to be in the office 40 hours/week. He could easily get another job in Dade or PB County, in a human services capacity.
I just don’t get it …
May 20th, 2010 at 8:37 am
Angelo is toast. It’s time for a true representative of the people who is not a typical politician who only looks out for lobbiests like Judy Stern.
Draft Comm. Iris Siple for County Commission
May 20th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Iris Siple is Howard Forman’s political puppet and Forman is Judy Stern’s political rabbi. There is a crisis at the clerk’s office every week under Iris and Howard. There are enough problems at the county. Her staff can’t stand her and residents are never sure what she’s talking about. Can’t we do better?
May 20th, 2010 at 1:01 pm
If Mommy says no ask Daddy?
May 20th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
There is no conflict with a budget vote unless the budget includes a line item appropriation to an particular entity that causes a conflict. General appropriations by category or department cause no conflicts. In the case of a budget line item that creates a problem you separate out the line item from the main motion on the budget. You then vote on each separately. This is very rare. Voting conflicts typically only involve appropriation votes not budget votes. As to where someone works that should be up to them so long as they live within the rules.
May 20th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
It’s a conflict. You can package it any way you want. It’s a conflict. That’s the problem, and it will get him in trouble. Trouble he doesn’t need.
May 21st, 2010 at 12:49 am
Conflicts come in life and the thing to do is resolve them, some you need to avoid and others by just dealing with them directly. There is no such thing as a conflict free life. Trouble comes when you fail to control a conflict.
May 22nd, 2010 at 9:49 am
“I Hope It Happens” says Castillo â€put the community ahead of his own desires†when he chose to back off the campaign. Are you kidding? That decision was about money – whether or not he could keep his $150k plus job and make another $92k a year from the county. Get real!
May 22nd, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Nobody should take a shot at any man for putting his family first. Angelo had this election won cold, he could still come back and win.
He found out there might be a problem, he was up front about it and stepped aside. You can’t ask for more than that. Most politicians would not have said anything. Angelo gave others a chance to run for a seat he could have had himself. He put his family and his community first and that deserves respect.
I hope it works out for Angelo. I hope he runs again. He’s ten times better than the people I am hearing about now.
May 25th, 2010 at 8:58 am
Angelo is a mean person. Not a nice guy. Nothing at all nurturing or heartfelt about this guy. He screams at children, has a horrible temperment (and temper) and is vindictive. He is all in it for only “his” community and there is no common cooperation unless it benefits only his agenda.
Oh..lok, I’m sorry… at least he IS qualified!
November 30th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Howard Foreman does NOT intend to run as Clerk of Courts. He is putting his name in and at the very last minute he is withdrawing from the race. He is only doing this so Iris Siple his much hated second in command can become next clerk of court. She will be putting her application in 5 minutes before the deadline
The clerks CANNOT stand Iris and she is despised by all