Al Lamberti Proded To Go Negative On Scott Israel

BY BUDDY NEVINS

Al Lamberti told me today that after 31 years in law enforcement he can do the sheriff’s job standing on his head.
Winning in November’s election won’t be as easy.
So Lamberti is being advised to attack his Democratic opponent Scott Israel immediately in ads.
Lamberti has to quickly overcome a problem common to half the candidates on the November ballot:  A big “R next to his name.
He’s Republican in the most Democratic county in the state Broward.
To make matters worse, he‘s running when being Republican is toxic, thanks to President George W. Bush
GOP insiders acknowledged at Lamberti’s big fund raiser today that the sheriff will have a rough time getting elected.
“It’s going to be a tough year and this race won’t be easy, said one leading Republican.
The luncheon at the Riverside Hotel featured Gov. Charlie Crist. Crist appointed Lamberti last year to replace former Sheriff Ken Jenne, who left office under a cloud of public corruption charges. 
The fund raiser pumped as much as $70,000 more into Lamberti’s campaign. The sheriff already had about $400,000 in the bank. Israel’s coffers are bare after spending it all in Tuesday’s bare-knuckle Democratic primary.  
While Israel is out collecting money, expect Lamberti to attack Israel early and often.
“We’ve got to go negative on this guy fast, said an adviser to the Lamberti campaign.
There is a lot to criticize, fairly or unfairly, depending on what side you are on: Israel was the target of 10 internal affairs investigations while a cop in Fort Lauderdale.  He was cleared in the incidents.
There is also the paternity suit filed against him.  The South Florida Sun-Sentinel disclosed last week that Israel was ordered by the court to pay for a child he refused to acknowledge.
Lamberti says he knows that Israel will attack him for being part of Jenne’s administration, trying to connect him to the public corruption.
In reality,  Lamberti was one of the cops who blew the whistle on Jenne. 
Israel has a lot going for him, too.
 Besides being a Democrat he was a lifelong Republican who switched right before the beginning of his campaign he’s been a cop for as long as Lamberti, about 30 years.  He has administrative experience and is currently on leave as chief of North Bay Village, a town in Miami-Dade County.
He also has a Jewish name, but that won’t help as much as it did in the primary. Most elderly Jews, among the most-partisan Democrats, wouldn’t vote for a Republican like Lamberti anyway.
Right after Lamberti was appointed, he stopped by my table at a restaurant and asked for advice.  I told him that one way to win was to become an independent, publicly declaring that law enforcement was too vital a task to be bogged down in partisan politics.
Others were urging Lamberti to switch to the Democratic Party.
Promised a lot of money by GOP insiders, the sheriff stayed a Republican.  It will be interesting to see if he made the right choice.   
 



13 Responses to “Al Lamberti Proded To Go Negative On Scott Israel”

  1. Reap What You Sow says:

    Oh Buddy…..I can’t wait for Lamberti to try to go negative on Scotty.

    Wait til he sees what comes at him in return…..maybe you could investigate rather than chit-chat with him in a restaurant giving him political advice and you’ll see what we ALL will be talking about.

  2. I.P. Freely says:

    See that button on the right? It says “Dish Here: Got a Confidential Tip?”

    That wouldn’t be your type’s style. If you knew anything you would post it. But this way, for whatever self-indulgent reason, you can pretend to be more important and “in the know” than you really are by coming back and posting with whatever the campaign mails out after it happens and referring to the above post as “calling it.” It’s the “anonymous” political blog loser’s version of “Crossing Over with John Edward.”

  3. anonymous says:

    Al is standing on his head at this point after his buddies spend 180k in one week to semar Israel only to see Scott win. I am glad I emailed you that tip about rothstien and the company tryin to privitize the jail speind all this money obviously on behalf of Al. Did you ask him or anyone at this event about that? Doubt it. Next time I have a tip I will go to Bob Norman its not like anyone knows or reads this blog anyway.
    FROM BUDDY:
    Thanks for reading.
    I looked back at the posts. You never e-mailed me any tip about anyone trying to privative the jail. But there is a lot of money in jail privatization.
    The last time there was a move to privatize the Broward jails happened was right after Ron Cochran won the sheriff’s job in 1993. The county commission defeated the move.
    The hole in the privatazation theory is that the county commission, not the sheriff, owns the jail and makes the decision about who operates it.
    You are right about Rothstein being opposed to Scott Israel. I saw him at Lamberti’s fund raiser on Thursday.

  4. al lamb-berti says:

    Judy Stern probably has a client already for the jail privatization. She gets Israel in and gets him to ask the county commission to privatize the jail. Then she gets her lackies like Wexler, Rodstrom, Eggelletion to lead the charge.

  5. So True says:

    So true about Stern. Israel is a nice guy, is Al. But both want the job so badly they’ll trash anybody or anything just to get it. Look for a trash bash. It will get very very ugly.

  6. Truth about Al Lamberti says:

    Al- tell them about the time you were on sick leave and were suppose to be home and wrecked your police car in Vero Beach.

  7. Leo longtime says:

    Al Lamberti is the best sheriff in years. He’s honest and not a politician. He’s a real law enforcement professional.

  8. Oppo-man says:

    If the Rothstein-hacks think they are going to continue to Swift Boat Israel, they need to watch what’s in Al’s closet.

    The personal issues they brought up about Scott PALES in comparison to the ones that Lamberti is going to be hit with. And while Democratic voters are a bit more understanding of such matters, Al’s Republican base is going to lose their SH*T completely.

  9. not to be taken lightly says:

    Al lamberti is full of chit. I say what goes around comes around. Lamberti is selfish and inconsiderate. He doest look like a leader, doesnt act like a leader, and he doesnt speak like a leader. During that debate he stood there as if he was fragile and afraid. He speaks very soft spoken as if he didnt even want to be there. I say there needs to be a new sheriff in town and I say VOTE for Israel he is the man for the job. Democrats are definitely gonna dominate this election this year is our year.

  10. Curt Petersen says:

    I’m a democrat and I find it hard to vote for Scott Israel who changed his party affiliation from a Republican to a Democrat before the primaries because he couldn’t run as a Republican. That to me is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I’m going to vote for Lamberti. At least he’s honest enough to say he’s a Republican rather than deceive the public like Scott Israel. Scott Israel is not a Democrat plain and simple. In other words he is already a liar.

  11. Sal Guiliano says:

    Dear Mr. Nevins,
    I hope most of your readers have come to the realization that politics is the dirtiest profession on the planet. It’s an opportunity for opposing parties to take shots at each other for one reason and one reason only and, that is, to further their own personal agendas rather than for the honest and true purpose of why they should be running for public office. Yes, public office which, in my opinion, is to serve the public and not for any personal reason(s). Why can’t campaigns be organized and run on specific platforms and experience for the position politicians are seeking and not on spurious allegations of misconduct. Most voters, may they be local or on a national scale, don’t have the slightest idea of the issues nor do they care. If voters were informed about the issues that most affect them then, and only then, can they make an intelligent choice on who they want to represent them. It’s unfortunate that we live in a community and country espousing apathy, where most people feel that the issues being discussed by politicians don’t affect me, so why should I care who gets elected. The presidential election is extremely crucial this time around and I can only hope and pray that the right man is elected for the most powerful position in the world. The local elections are equally important, but listening to the same old political rhetoric is sickening, especially, when it comes to slamming each other. The Sheriff’s race in Broward County is important since it’s the most “powerful” position in Broward County, as the media had proclaimed over and over again in its stories and editorials Therefore, I strongly suggest that the voters, if they truly care, look at the professional backgrounds of both candidates, not their party affiliations, and then decide who they feel can best protect and serve the citizens of Broward County. It’s your decision, not what the candidates’ or their respective parties want you to believe. If you vote with that in mind, then you will have made the right decision. If Scott Israel wins this election, it will not be that he is more qualified than Sheriff Lamberti but, instead, he piggybacked on Obama and the Democratic Party where they are the dominant party in Broward County. I only hope that the voters are intelligent enough to look through Israel’s hypocrisy.

  12. concerned citizen says:

    Please let us all remember that if Scott Israel gets elected the puppet master will be that psychotic henchman Ron Cacciatore. This man is as corrupt and cut throat as the day is long. He is a bully that just love to push around women, blacks, and gays to make himself feel good. If he gets in we are all in trouble. Scott should have dropped him like a hot rock early on then maybe he would have had a chance. Yuck.

  13. KLCORVETTE says:

    In response to “not to be taken lightly”…you have no clue!!
    Fragile and soft spoken…You don’t even know Al; nor, do you know what he’s been through!!!