PBA Board Member: Union Endorsement Process “Slanted” For Lamberti

BY BUDDY NEVINS

 

It’s not easy to speak up at work.

Just ask Broward Sheriff’s Deputy and Police Benevolent Association Board member Mark Trudel, who opposes both his union bosses and Sheriff Al Lamberti.

A 29-year-veteran working in Deerfield Beach, Trudel was assigned to the dreaded Midnight shift after expressing his opinions.

It disrupted his home life.  His wife was upset.

Midnights is something usually covered by younger deputies.  With his seniority, Trundel would traditionally have a better shift.

But he has opinions.  And they aren’t the opinions of the leadership.

Trudel says he was never disobedient.  He never violated an order because, “I love BSO. I wouldn’t do that.”

He just has outspoken views on the upcoming sheriff’s election and he is no fan of Lamberti.

Trundel complained about the organization’s endorsement process which he said was “slanted” in favor of Lamberti.

He should know.  He is a PBA insider.  He was elected by fellow cops to the governing board of the PBA.

Trundel’s complaint is that the PBA leaders are handpicking whom they endorse rather than allow the thousands of members to express their opinions in a survey.

Scott Israel Favored By Cops

Trundel says he knows the reason they don’t want a vote: “The rank and file are for Scott Israel,” Lamberti’s opponent.

Israel got the group’s endorsement in the primary.

Trundel made a motion at a recent PBA Board meeting to allow the union members a say in the endorsement.

“My motion died an untimely death,” Trundel says.

Trundel wants one thing from the PBA.  He would like the membership and not a handful of leaders to decide the endorsement.

“All I ask is for a level playing field,” he says.

PBA endorsements are generally decided only after a survey of the members, Trundel says.

So what happens next? He believes the PBA Board, sick of his dissension, “may end up throwing me out.”

And if Lamberti wins?

“I’ll probably be back on Midnights,” says Trundel, who is retiring next year.  “What a way to end an career!”

Trudel recently wrote an open e-mail sent to, among others, members of the media about the endorsement process.  Here it is:

SUBJECT: PBA Endorsement

DATE: Sat, 22 Sep 2012 09:09:59 -0400 

FROM: Mark Trudel 

TO:   (removed by Browardbeat.com)


I have to comment about the process that took place in which Sheriff Lamberti made a contract offer to the members in order to gain the endorsement. First off, the whole process was a sham. 
My name is Mark Trudel and I’m a BSO Road Patrol deputy since 1983 and an elected BSO PBA Board member (www.bcpba.org). You can confirm my position on the Board on the website.

When the Board of Directors endorsed Scott Israel for the primary, that set in motion a series of moves that made the process slanted against Scott Israel for the general election. A meeting took place between Florida PBA President John Rivera and some of my peers on the Board. By the way, I was not invited to that meeting. In that meeting, they convinced Mr. Rivera to allow the 9 BSO Representatives to make the endorsement for the sheriff’s race. They threatened to remove BSO from the Broward PBA, and that it would basically bankrupt the organization. They requested Pat Hanrahan be removed from his position as president in the endorsement process and insert Dick Brickman, the past president. When this was allowed to happen, I knew Scott Israel had no chance at gaining the endorsement.

As you may well know, the other eight members I serve with are close to Sheriff Lamberti including Dick Brickman. As you can imagine, I am not. Sheriff Lamberti has recently punished me by placing me on midnights for six months because of my opposition to him on contractual issues involving the members I serve.

Several times, the endorsement surveys were to go out to the men and women of BSO but each time they were supposedly going out, the other Board members objected and had them held up.

I want you to know that the men and women I serve want to be part of the process and want to be surveyed on who they want as their next sheriff. Every time I would bring the subject up, Dick Brickman and the other Board members would object and basically dismiss me from the process.

Like I said at the top of this e-mail, the whole process is a sham! All I ever asked is that our members be allowed a voice in the process. Their voice will never be heard in this endorsement process.

In closing, I have to concede the PBA organization is broken and severely flawed. I wonder if the members will retaliate by quitting. Only time will tell.

Thank you for your attention.

Mark Trudel



24 Responses to “PBA Board Member: Union Endorsement Process “Slanted” For Lamberti”

  1. voter says:

    forget the endorsements.
    just vote.
    and if you don’t live in broward too bad
    the sheriff is not elected by 7000 bso employees

  2. Wait'n for the perp walk says:

    That’s really not the point. The sheriff is disallowing ANYTHING that may make him look bad. That it not the way democracy is designed to work.

    This sheriff is a coward. Midnight’s, Suspension’s Termination’s, Partiality and Homophobia. Lamberti is bad news for the employee’s of the BSO and VERY bad news for the public. As soon as Benjamin is indicted, so too will be Lamberti. He started as sheriff as an appointment … he’ll end as a disappointment … and a criminal!

  3. Dave Walters/Weston says:

    Please… the word all around Broward County was that Scott Israel, Jeff Marano and Dick Brickman all scammed the primary endorsement in the primary for Israel against his opponent, who was Marano’s former brother-in-law and a much better choice.

    It was okay then, but now that the shoe is on the other foot, Israel and his Pals don’t like it, so lets cry like a bunch of babies.

  4. The Answer says:

    This is why change is required at BSO. The fish rots from the head.

  5. The Answer says:

    The fish rots from the head.

  6. ooops says:

    I wonder if Cacciatore and Ronnie Gunzburger ever really do any work for the property appraiser

    it seems that they spend a lot of time leaking crap to you buddy

  7. BSO LEO says:

    Scott Israel is a thug. do we want a thug for sheriff?

  8. BSO LEO says:

    Scott Israel is Chicken Cacciatore’s puppet. He pulls Israel’s strings. Chicken is Lori Parrish’s puppet. Scott Israel = Lori Parrish.

  9. Lamberti is garbage says:

    Lamberti is a criminal and needs to go.
    Why are we sending BSO deputies to Iraq and Jordan with a retired FBI clown, now a highly paid paid BSO employee, who is in the training business on the taxpayer dime? What are we going to teach them, how to be hypocrites and backstabbers? Can we send Lamberti? Maybe he can get blown up. Might this be illegal?

  10. Andy Jackson says:

    BSO rules prohibit BSO officers from associating with convicted felons. Yet Sheriff Lamberti’s paid re-election campaign consultant did
    11 years for armed cocaine trafficking. Lamberti fired him only after he was arrested for beating his wife up and his criminal record became publicly known. This is Broward’s top cop?
    Lamberti has got to go !

  11. Coral Springs Chargers Parent says:

    As a Coral Springs Charger Football Parent, I would never want Scott Israel in charge of anything, especially a position of authority. Our son played football for him and he was a total ego maniac and all the parents had the worst experience ever. Scott is not well liked or supported by parents. I feel sorry for the Broward Sheriff’s if he was to win. Nobody I know will ever vote for him. He is not a good person and will lie right to your face. Be careful with Scott Israel.

    If you didn’t know, Scott Israel has a fourth child he never talks about and only talks about his triplets. What a sorry excuse of a man that the mother of his child had to file a paternity suit, won child support and back child support, won back medcial expenses. How could you be Sheriff and enforce dead beat Dad laws when you are guilty yourself. Scott was arrested and lies about hsi voting record. Scott never voted until he was 40 years old. He only votes now because it benefits him. If something doesn’t benefit Scott he is not interested. The records speak for themself.

  12. Tommy2Tone says:

    Sounds like sour grapes to me. This guy got punished and now somehow it’s Lamberti’s fault and another conspiracy against an rogue employee. Please you whining crying little bitch, just retire already and quit embarrassing all the real cops out there. As for the PBA, they Reps voted, that’s how it is done. The Reps voted for Lamberti. The endorsement means squat anyways, as the PBA is just another self-serving union who does very little for their members. Israel should disappear for good after this loss. It will be bigger than last time for sure.

  13. 53% says:

    there seems to be the appearance here that the mud-slinging machine of the Israel culture is working overtime. Barring any major tittle-tattle the Sheriff will retain his position as sheriff and Israel will retain his position as Scott.

  14. The Answer says:

    Al Lamberti is sinking fast. He gives us another reason every day to vote against him. The road deputy who wrote the post above deserves respect.

  15. Yecch!!! says:

    The Sheriff is supposed to be Mr. Clean, but both candidates are drowning Broward in mud, dirt and slime…

    I’m holding my nose & voting for Israel – only for this election.

    Next election, can we PLEASE get at least one candidate who’s a lot closer to Mr. (or better yet, Ms.!) Clean???

  16. Just Another Republican Tactic says:

    Al Lamberti is just another Republican trying to suppress the vote because he doesn’t like what the answer is going to be. And the PBA is allowing itself to become his stooge.

  17. tax payer says:

    I agree with YECCH!!!
    voting for israel and looking for better in 2016

  18. Johnny B Good says:

    Nahh..We will vote to Keep Al Lamberti Our Sheriff. You can keep Scott Israel under his rock.

  19. The Owl says:

    With regard to the letter in blue print above, the writer has 29 years experience and is still on road patrol. Whether he’s being punished or not, he’s obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed. As far as his conjecture about Dick Brickman goes, Brickman is one of the few people in the world that can actually get along with Scott Israel’s buddy Jeff “it’s all about me” Marano. Jeff’s back-stabbing Dick too???

  20. inquiring mind says:

    When the Board of Directors endorsed Scott Israel for the primary, that set in motion a series of moves that made the process slanted against Scott Israel for the general election. ………They threatened to remove BSO from the Broward PBA, and that it would basically bankrupt the organization. They requested Pat Hanrahan be removed from his position as president in the endorsement process and insert Dick Brickman, the past president.”

    Does this sound like extortion? It does to me.

    How about a similar column Buddy on WHY they would endorse Israel rather than Lamberti? The issues and differences between them as candidates, not just representing the rank and file but the one million++ citizens of Broward who pay the taxes to fund the BSO.

    Thank you Buddy if the PBA gives you this info to post.

  21. Mark Trudel says:

    To the “Owl” fella: I’m on the road patrol because I’m retiring soon. I’ve done everything I wanted to do in the Agency. I chose to go back to patrol as to not take up a position for somebody newer that wants to move into. You obviously don’t know me or BSO. As for your comment about Dick getting along with Jeff. What the heck does that have to do with this article?

  22. Watching the race says:

    At Mark Trudel, really you’re on road patrol because you wanted to be? Didn’t you claim you were removed from Deerfield CI unfairly? It is public record. You were moved to the road from district CI because you couldn’t do the job. Not because you requested a transfer.

    It’s public record Mark. Be honest

  23. voter says:

    Any Write In candidates for Sheriff on Nov. 6?

    These two the best there is in Broward?

  24. Citizen says:

    I see Scott Israel for sheriff has picked up a few endorsements – incoming BCC Marty Sklar and Howard Forman clerk of the courts.
    Could Israel have a chance after all?

    FROM BUDDY:

    The endorsement of Israel, the Democratic nominee, by Democrats is not news. What would be news is if he got endorsed by a leading Republican.