Sheriff Israel Extends Fund Raising Lead
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Broward Sheriff Scott Israel’s re-election continues to pile up big amounts of money.
The Democratic sheriff raised only $6,000 in July and spent almost all of it on his consultant Amy Rose.
However, Israel’s Citizens for Effective Law Enforcement raised another $127,012 in the second quarter of the year. The political committee has raised roughly $430,000 to date.
That’s a pretty big war chest to overcome for any challenger.
Sheriff Scott Israel with longtime Democratic activist Lottie Albert
One potential rumored opponent continues to be Neil DeJesus, a former Cooper City Commissioner (2008-2010). He was was appointed the Broward Sheriff’s Office Fire Chief by former Sheriff Al Lamberti in 2011 and has since retired. He previously retired as Coral Gables Fire and Rescue Chief after many years in that department.
Some advice to DeJesus: Stay out!
Even without the money, Israel is extremely popular among Democrats. Since this one will almost surely be won or lost in the Democratic primary, such popularity is crucial.
Perhaps most important is the fact that voters need a reason to vote against an incumbent. There appears to be absolutely no reason to vote against Israel.
There have been no scandals at BSO. No missteps. The impression among every voter I’ve talked to is that the police and fire agency is well-run.
Israel also is perhaps our most visible sheriff in a long time. He is everywhere, shaking hands or supervising at the scene of crimes and emergencies almost every day. He is the best known local Broward politician.
And he has made moves that have been widely applauded, such as the initiate to not automatically arrest juveniles accused of minor crimes, but to divert them into rehab programs.
DeJesus, who could not be reached for comment, should consider all this before jumping into a hopeless race.
The three candidates already in the race are light on experience and longtime political observers say they have little chance of getting any real support. They are Donald Jones, Willie Jones and Edison Jules.
All are black, which could hurt Israel in that community. That’s not enough to beat him and any black opponents of the sheriff will divide the vote among the three.
Jules, whose resume appears to be largely from Ohio, has filed papers indicating he has spent no money on his race. Yet, he has a website. I wonder how he got that up without spending money?
From what is looks like now, Scott Israel will sail to re-election next year and be sheriff at least until 2020.
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Here is the latest report from the Broward Election’s Office on how much each candidate raised, followed by how much they spent. (Israel’s committee is filed with the Internal Revenue Service in Washington, D.C.):
Scott J. Israel ( Active-Incumbent) DEM $99,222.98 $28,991.24
Sheriff Donald ‘DD’ Jones ( Active-) DEM
Sheriff Willie Jones ( Active-) DEM $11,160.00; $287.50
Sheriff Edison Jules ( Active-) DEM $500.00
August 11th, 2015 at 3:29 pm
Now we know why Neal de Jesus pushed so hard to have the BSO audit performed for Dist. 16, which was just approved and moving forward. Another back door deal in the works?
August 11th, 2015 at 5:37 pm
Quite simply, “one good term deserves another.”
August 12th, 2015 at 12:06 am
Buddy, you must keep your blinders on 24/7. Israel has had no problem. What do you call ethics violations and being found guilty for them. Do you think it’s appropriate for an elected Sheriff to accept a family boat trip for his family and try and justify it by saying you paid 500.00 per person like Carnival Cruise Lines. It’s a joke. That trip was not available to the general public and last I checked a boat that rent for 195,000.00 per week would never be offered to the general public tax payer. Israel has a history of lying and has rarely kept his promises with the labor unions, no blood bath when he vindictively fired more people than Cochran, hired every friend in hard earned tax payer dollars like its a slush funds and no fiscal responsibility, hires a Deputy Associated with CAIR, campaigning in a tax payer uniform and on county tax payer dollars, retaliated against 8 union reps after being elected, has hired more unethical criminals than anyone in the history of BSO, runs around talking about his triplets when he was sued in a paternity suit for his oldest son and was court ordered to pay child support, pay for his oldest child’s counseling, Israel was arrested in Key West years ago, is hated by the employees at the BSO, morale is the lowest ever, he got caught lying by saying he never touches a computers and doesn’t check email “stupid statement”, made a circus press conference on the Sgt. Chris Reyka murder case upsetting his whole family, hired all Roger Stones cronies that lied on their employment applications and had to abruptly quit, has General Cousel Gunzberger and Commissioner Angelo Castillo blogging on tax payer dime during times while working at BSO, and the list goes on Buddy. Really, sometimes I wonder who you get your information from and if you realize some of the things you write about are totally disconnected with reality. Israel could be in trouble with the right opponent in the race. He knows it and is running scared. Enough with the one sided stories.
FROM BUDDY:
I am not “totally disconnected with reality,” as you wrote. All the allegations you mentioned — I have no idea whether they are true or not — are the ultimate inside baseball and the public cares little about them.
In addition, the candidates opposing Scott Israel at the current time will have no resources to inform the public about any of these alleged problems you cite. And these challengers appear highly unqualified to run the Broward Sheriff’s Office.
I stand by my post. Israel is the favorite in this race.
August 12th, 2015 at 9:01 am
I live in a city patrolled by BSO for many years. It’s time to contract with another municipality! In the past three years, we have the WORST police service we have ever had!
August 12th, 2015 at 9:19 am
I resent having to defend Messers Castillo and Gunzburger but does number 3 have an iota of evidence either blogs on government time? I have evidence of a sort they don’t – Mr Nevins sees the incoming times of blog entries so everyone knows for 40 years he has stood for no-no sense government. I trust Mr. Nevins not to accommodate civil servants blogging on the public dime
August 12th, 2015 at 12:35 pm
@I Live There
Crimes rates in BSO cities are at a decades low now. It has been in the news repeatedly. If crime is the lowest now since anytime since the the early 1960s, and it is sharply lower now than when Israel came into office, that would seem to indicate BSO is doing a good job. Your definition of “the WORST” seems rather odd.
August 28th, 2015 at 8:49 am
Israel sadly, has all the cards. he has $$$, and has reached out to the minorities and the lgbt community.and while he may have support within the agency, he is universally disliked, and distrusted by the DOD.the agency is still as bloated and top heavy as ever, and in the jails, it seems the higher ups are more concerned about dressing up the facilities like a doll house when auditors and aca accreditations roll around, rather than officer safety.but he has no viable opposition, so 4 more years of hope and change. he is a slick politician.and nothing more.