Geller Challenges Gunzburger To Clean Campaign
BY STEVE GELLER
The following open letter was e-mailed to Browardbeat.com today.
It is a challenge to Broward County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger from Senator Steve Geller to engage in a clean campaign in our race for the Broward County Commission, Seat 6.
Sue:
On April 13, when I got tired of some of the more preposterous attacks that your campaign was making, (high rise condominiums near Century Village?) I finally responded on BrowardBeat.com. I refuted many of the ridiculous lies which, no doubt, you will say came from bloggers unrelated to your campaign. I asked if we could each run on our respective records, and not savage each other. Your response was to again attack me, say that you would continue to do so, and say that “Steve can try to bully me” but that it would not stop you from attacking me. Sue: words matter. Accusing me of trying to bully you because
I’ve asked for a clean campaign is an example of the distortion that has been occurring here.
Your response also said that you believed that your campaign would be “truthful and fair”. Really?
Your campaign has directly attacked me for taking money from Scott Rothstein. You imply that I personally took money, not mentioning that they were political contributions to a Political Committee that I chair, nor mentioning that the funds were returned by the Committee. More importantly, you personally took campaign contributions from Rothstein before the Political Committee that I chair did. I’ve never attacked you on that or any other issue. Do you think it’s “fair” to attack me for something that you did first?
Your campaign has attacked me because my net worth went up substantially during my service in the legislature. I was 29 when I was elected. I retired on my 50th Birthday. I am an “A-V” rated lawyer, which is the highest rating given for both Legal Ability and Ethics. If my net worth did not increase substantially during those 20 years, which included the 2005-2007 bubble, that would have been the story. Do you think that attack is “fair”?
Your campaign has repeatedly mischaracterized news stories that I am mentioned in, and made up phony “ headlines for these stories that do not accurately reflect the stories. Do you think that is “fair”? There are many other examples of attacks directly from your campaign that I certainly do not think are “fair”.
If you look at my website, www.stevegeller.com , you will see my name and picture. I don’t use your name or picture anywhere on my website. Your Facebook page is filled with attacks on me. I have never attacked you.
It’s clear that there may be different views of what is “fair”. I certainly concede that if and when I attack your record and conduct, that you may not think it “fair”, although I certainly will.
I do not believe in unilateral disarmament. As your attacks continue, and ramp up as we get closer to the election, I may have to respond with attacks that I believe will be more “fair” than the attacks that you have leveled at me, but that you certainly will not like any more than I have liked your unfounded attacks on me. I will not be “swiftboated” and not respond. We saw what happened when the Republicans did this to John Kerry. I don’t want this to be that type of election, and I still hope it can be avoided.
I believe that the voters of South Broward want a clean election. I believe that they are more concerned with jobs, keeping their homes, public safety, education, and our broader vision for the future of Broward, and what we will do for them, then in seeing a nasty campaign. I served in the Florida House of Representatives and Senate for 20 years before I retired and returned to the private sector on a full time basis; you have served in public office continuously for 28 years. Surely we can each run on our respective records of service and our platforms, instead of engaging in attack politics.
Here is what I propose. It’s simple, and it’s what I’ve been doing so far.
Neither of us will mention the other by name. Neither of us will use a picture of the other. If either of us has to refer to the other, we will refer to the other as either “my opponent”, “his opponent”, or “her opponent”. We will each focus on our own record and vision for the future of Broward. If there is any dispute, we’ll ask the Broward County Fair Campaign Practices Committee, or agree on a law school or political science department at a University to try and referee.
I believe that the voters of South Broward deserve this type of campaign. I believe that they should go and vote for someone, instead of picking the lesser of two evils after a nasty campaign.
I’m under no illusions about the chances that you’ll accept this. When I’ve offered something similar in the past, you’ve declined, saying instead that you’ll be “truthful and fair”, or similar things. I’ve shown above that this is not what’s happening.
Sue, your largest campaign expenditure to date has been the $21,411.48 that you’ve spent on a company to dig up dirt on me. That’s about 30% of your entire expenditures to date. This is a company with slogans on its website like “No mudslinging. Unless, of course, you’re into that”, or “We Find. We Spin. You Win”, or “It’s a dirty job. We’d love to do it”. I’m sure that the company has found mud to sling and things about my record to spin. We cast about 5,000 votes a year in the legislature. Over 20 years, that’s 100,000 votes. Most of these votes contain multiple issues and sections of legislation. This means that I’ve voted on over 1 million issues in the Legislature. If they can’t find a dozen issues that they can spin, they’re not worth what you’re paying them. And I’m sure they are.
Please check my campaign expenditures to see if I spent any money digging up dirt on you. You won’t find any such expenditures.
What about it, Sue? We’re about out of time. Will we be appealing to the best in voters, or the worst? Will it be a campaign of what we want to do for the voters in the future, or what we claim that the other did in the past? Please join me in setting a new tone in politics, and giving the voters of South Broward an election that they can be proud of.
Sincerely
Senator Steve Geller
Political Advertisement paid for and approved by Steven Geller, Democrat, for Broward County Commission, District 6
April 15th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Steve Geller sounds like a pussy that’s never been in a fight.
Did he think this race was going to be a walk in the park? He’s playing in Sue Gunzburger’s back yard and she’s playing for bragging rights. He picked a fight with a vicious political animal. She’s going to rip his head off as soon as this thing starts getting real.
Better man up, Steve. Sue Gunzburger’s got a broken beer bottle in her hand and she’s plenty pissed off.
April 15th, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Why wouldn’t he be holding out an olive branch right now? He’s scared s*itless of Sue & Ronnie.
He knows Ronnie is going to tear him a new one.
If her was smart, he’s have moved over to Wasserman-Rubins race and could have moon-walked right into that seat.
Given the fact he does not even live in either district, what would be the difference?
Fact is Stevie, you’ve bitten off a bite you probably might not be able to chew here.
My condolences, in advance, to your campaign.
Go have another triple cheeseburger and fries while you wait to be ravaged.
April 15th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
And the prize for the biggest whining crybaby goes to Steve Geller.
Wow. Geller flinched and is showing everyone how scared he is of Gunzburger. The fat guy can dish it out, like when he ran one of the dirtiest and slimiest races in Broward history against Bogdanoff. But he can’t stomach getting his own medicine thrown back in his face. I won’t be shedding any tears for the big cry baby.
Steve, stop making weasel lawyer excuses for your ponzi scheme ties and years of work as a lobbyist for the big developers.
Give him hell, Sue! The arrogant thug deserves it!
April 15th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Pussy, that’s exactly why I cannot support Gunzburger. Because what you are saying about Sue and Ron Gunzburger is true.
April 15th, 2010 at 5:49 pm
I’s guessing Geller is afraid that some skeletons in his closet are close to being revealed.
April 15th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
[…] Here is the original post that Gunzburger is answering. Here is her answer to Geller in full: […]
April 15th, 2010 at 8:13 pm
This is just more of the same putrid garbage being vomited up by the GONESburger campaign. You people represent exactly why Sue, Ron, and others like them need to be flushed down a toilet.
Pussy?? Have another triple cheeseburger? The fat man? Arrogant thug?? What is this? Professional wrestling?!?
Geller calls for a civil, positive, issue-oriented campaign and he’s insulted for it. I don’t get the “logic” in it. How are you doing Sue any favors by dragging her campaign even further into the mud and slime??
Again, by not repudiating this garbage, Sue is as responsible for it as if she’d written it herself. She should be ashamed of herself.
April 16th, 2010 at 5:46 am
This is a response to the above posts calling Geller obscene names and fat. It is disgusting to attack a candidate about his weight and call him derogatory names. I’m sure you’re a real 10, or is that just your IQ? Should people say nasty things about the other candidate regarding her looks and age?
FROM BUDDY: I agree.
April 16th, 2010 at 9:32 am
Geller is on point, Sue won’t agree to this; she can’t control her son, Ronnie, from his horrible sadistic political skewing side, which is a compulsion and habbit worse than heroin. she is running to support his sadistic habbit.
FROM BUDDY:
What are the comments going to do next? Compare Ron Gunzburger to Josef Mengele?
I know Ron Gunzbuger. He is not sadistic. At least, he never suggested tying me up. Or tying up Steve Geller, either.
May 15th, 2010 at 1:39 am
Hi, I googled Geller Challenges Gunzburger To Clean Campaign : BrowardBeat.com and your website was in the initial few websites, you must be doing something correct for google to like your posts a lot. Have you ever seriously considered blogging for money?