Tamarac Democratic Club Killed By State Party
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Once, the Tamarac Democratic Club was at the heart of Florida’s Democratic machine.
Its members elected governors and presidents.
Hundreds of members voted in lockstep for candidates like Lawton Chiles and Bob Graham, who visited the club.
The Tamarac club was among the leading groups that fueled Broward’s nationally-fabled Democratic steamroller.
It was places in Broward like Tamarac that offset the conservative vote in other parts of state to keep folks like Chiles and Graham in office. They helped put Bill Clinton in the White House.
But today, the only way those once politically-potent members can vote is Chicago-style, from the grave.
And the Tamarac Democratic Club is no more.
The club had its charter pulled last month by the state party for 17 counts of violating rules.
The allegations:
Illegal elections for officers held. Club officials treated themselves to almost $1,000 worth of food and drink. Improper notice was given for meetings. Meetings were held and decisions were made without a quorum.
Party leader Mitch Ceasar, one of the founders of the club in 1975, had enough. So did the state party, which made the decision to pull the plug on the once venerable organization.
It didn’t much matter in the end. The Tamarac Democratic Club had shriveled to the point it was meeting in a Denny’s, according to Ceasar.
I spoke to the club last year. This was before they started holding meetings amid the clanging plates and the smell of Grand Slam breakfasts.
Even back then, the life had gone out of the old club.
In the audience were two people with walkers. One guy breathing from an oxygen tank. Another guy being guided by his Caribbean caretaker.
Then-club leader Mae Schreiber and her husband, former Mayor Joe Schreiber, were How do I put this politely?- detached.
The end was near for many of the members and the club. A sad end.
The current president Patti Lynn vows to continue on, despite the state party order.
Lynn can do whatever she wants. The remaining active members can continue to show up.
But this is no longer a party club. It is no longer a party organization.
They can call it the Tamarac Political Club. Or the Tamarac Debating Circle.
The Tamarac Democratic Club is dead.
May 20th, 2010 at 6:38 am
We really do need some fresh blood on the DEC. The Tamarac club is dead and several others I’m told are also dead or dying. Democrats are in disarray. Time for a change folks. Get some of those crusty old voices out of the DEC and bring in a new team that can generate some excitement again.
May 20th, 2010 at 6:41 am
The story you are not telling here is that Mitch Ceasar hates Patti Lynn and has tried to eliminate her from the DEC for years. He doesn’t want anybody who criticizes his terrible track record.
May 20th, 2010 at 10:17 am
ceasar is the lobbist in the city of tamarac,they pay him approximatley 40,000$ a year when Joe Schrieber was mayor appointing ceasar to lobbyist the Tamarac Democratic club was in good standing,when joe schriber was term limited out his nemisis became mayor and she was involved in the kingspoint democratic club,ceasar no longer had use for the Tamarac Democratic after his lobbyist contract was renewed,he nows where his bread is buttered
May 20th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
in another blog it said that the frist time ceasar was elected he ran against judy stern,that is incorrect it was Barbara Effman,thanks for letting me use this blog,the other is for wrapping fish and strip clubs thanks
October 25th, 2010 at 4:35 pm
ATT: Buddy Nevins
I always thought you had actual proof before writing articles but in this article you are way off. I was President of the Davie Democratic Club and then moved to Tamarac and was Secretary for 15 years and had just resigned that year. When Patti was elected President I did not know her past history, all I knew was that she kept this chapter working for the past year as Mae was incapable of doing it as she had dimentia. At a regular meeting,where there was a quorum and no other candidates for office Patti was nominated for president. Mae was not satisfied being president for 15 years so she told Mitch the meeting didn’t have a quorum as she wanted to be president again. Joe later told the Board that Mae did this and he and Mae were wrong in doing so and Patti is really the president. Mitch came to our meeting and the secretary told him she made a mistake in the minutes and there was a quorum and no reason to delay our election. He said he wanted it delayed anyway and we found out later because he brought in 30 new members at that meeting. However as long as we were not out of order he had no grounds to delay us.He brought in false witnesses like Diane Glasser, Norma Goldstein, Jack Shifrel and others and of course has Karen Thurman in his pocket, who I asked for help before I knew she belonged to him. She is another who should be investigated for lying about not receiving my emails asking for help and what to do. There are 17 lies made up by Mitch and not one truth and you believed them all without investigating. At a regular meeting at which Mitch was present I conducted the installation of new officers . We had our installation at the Blue Moon Restaurant and the cost is no where what you say it was.
You really owe an apology to this club for not getting your facts straight before publishing them
Faye Kronberg
FROM BUDDY:
Thank you for presenting your side of the story. Mitch Ceasar and others have a different point of view.