Candidate Tim Smith’s Pathetic Misleading Campaign For Ft. Lauderdale City Commission
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Let’s make it clear: Fort Lauderdale mayoral candidate Dean Trantalis endorsed candidate Steve Glassman for City Commission.
Trantalis didn’t endorse Tim Smith, who is Glassman’s opponent in Tuesday’s election.
Trantalis never endorsed Smith. Not ever.
So why is Smith mailing last-minute advertising implying that he is supported by Trantalis?
Let’s take a quiz:
(1) Smith is increasingly desperate because he can’t face losing.
(2) Smith believes he can’t win on his own so he has stooped to misleading the voters.
(3) Smith has been deceived by an unscrupulous consultant.
(4) All of the above.
I’m opting for (4).
Read more and see if you agree.
Tim Smith Plagiarizes An Ad
The first of two recent mailers is a downright steal from Trantalis.
I would get my money back from whoever designed this one, Tim:
The top portion is stolen directly from an earlier Trantalis ad shown below:
The piece implies Trantalis supports Smith.
(The mailer also is designed to label opponent Glassman a pro-developer candidate, which is false. Totally false.
During Smith’s earlier tenure on the City Commission he was known as one of the surest votes for development interests.)
Tim Smith’s Misleading LGBTQ Ad
The second misleading mailer is below.
That’s Smith on the left.
In the insert, Smith is standing next to Trantalis (in the black shirt). The insert is one of two pictures of Smith and Trantalis together in the ad (second on the reverse side, not reproduced here).
This ad was mailed after a report in the South Florida Gay News that Smith had been “accused of saying the district doesn’t need a gay commissioner and making the comment: ‘Is there a gay vote and does it matter?'”
Before he ran for office, Smith was a former city commissioner and a respected blogger and civic activist.
After these two ads, Smith is just one more pathetic politician who will do anything to win.
So I have to ask: Is winning a seat on the City Commission that important, Tim?
March 12th, 2018 at 3:11 pm
Tim Smith, more than any other commissioner used his position to get rich. And he misses that. So much so he has dyed his hair, dress up like a gay man, and has often left his lovely wife out of his campaign material.
Let help him ride off in the sunset and give Steve Glassman a chance to serve.
March 12th, 2018 at 3:17 pm
The LittleLeprechaun is right. Smith dressed himself like someone in the cast of Looking even though he has made strange comments about gays in the past.
However, I’m gay and the issue is not gay friendly. The issue is fixing the infrastructure and smart growth. Glassman has supported both issues for years. Smith is a developer supporter.
March 12th, 2018 at 3:18 pm
Jack “skyscraper Jack” Seiler endorsed Smith. Isn’t that enough information.
March 12th, 2018 at 3:50 pm
Smith paid Dan Lewis almost $3k at the beginning of March for a flyer, $1,200 at the beginning of Feb for a flyer, over $1,500 for a flyer in January. You know the same Dan Lewis who misleads voters by sending out blue cards endorsing Republicans. You have frequently lauded him on your blog. I am sure you can connect the dots here… More effective has been Dan Lewis’ editorials endorsing candidates in neighborhood magazines crammed in between ads for local realtors and bathroom renovators sent out to Fort Lauderdale residents ignorant of his tactics.
I have said it before and I will say it again. The campaign consultant one chooses to represent them is one of the first choices of a campaign and is a direct reflection of the type of campaign one intends on running, and whether they like it or not, a reflection on the candidate.
Choose wisely.
FROM BUDDY:
Absolutely true that the choice of a campaign consultant is a direct reflection on the candidate. I echo Seth: Choose wisely.
March 12th, 2018 at 3:53 pm
If we all get to laugh at Judy Stern for her homophobic and deceptive mailers, lets call out who Smith is paying to do his…
One thing has emerged from this cycle, the old timers like Stern and Lewis just cant keep up anymore. The new generation of consultants like Seinfeld, Aaron Nevins, Blake McDairmid, Eric Johnson, Bogdanoff have come on strong.
March 12th, 2018 at 4:01 pm
The civic activism business has always been about the dollars for Tim and his campaign has proven as much to the community. Look for Tim to pull up stakes and take his snake oil operation on the road to some unsuspecting rural community that’s never met anyone like quite like Timmy Smith for the last chapter of his life.
March 12th, 2018 at 4:04 pm
The best part is that I just got a robo call from discredited current Mayor “Gun Show” Jack Seiler urging me to vote for this in my opinion huckster that you have just fully exposed in your above article.
March 12th, 2018 at 4:48 pm
Looks to me like Judy Stern found a new client in Tim Smith. Stealing ads, lying about where Dean stands, implying Tim’s gay. Some people just never learn.
FROM BUDDY:
There is absolutely no evidence that consultant/lobbyist Judy Stern has anything to do with these Tim Smith ads.
March 12th, 2018 at 7:33 pm
There are a lot of strange events in politics. Example: Why would Warren Sturman, supposedly an anti development candidate, post a letter of support from Walter Duke, who lost in the primary election for the District 4 commission seat, on his Facebook page? Walter Duke earns his income from developers and has a client the developer of the Bahia Mar project. Who is the real Warren Sturman?
March 13th, 2018 at 3:52 am
I’d no more trustvTim Smith than I would Bruce Roberts; they’re of the same BS mold..
March 13th, 2018 at 8:10 am
First and for most Steve Glassman ran a great campaign.He didn.t need the Pacs nor did he need Deans robo calls either.Tim got into the weeds early on with the gay comments.And that hurt him from then on.He does have a brother that is gay but at that point why bother.Tim is still a very effective advocate over in Middle River Terr.Unless a bomb hits Trantalis and Glassman prevail.Make calls to Smith stating no hard feelings etc.Put Tim on an advisory bd etc.Play nice.I wish Tim Smith well and hope he continues to be a voice for his neighborhood.Lastly Dean should really thank Scott Wyman.The news letters these last couple months really hit a home run.Scott is the brains behind the whole operation.Steve Glassman congrats..
March 13th, 2018 at 12:36 pm
So, Seth Platt, a disingenuous lobbyist representing developers, and all manner of clients who will seek contracts for Fort Lauderdale’s pending infrastructure projects support Steve Glassman over Tim Smith for district 2 City commission. Your full-throated support for Mr. Glassman is telling.
I wonder how many of your many lobbying clients contributed to the PAC sending out mailers and making phone calls for Mr. Glassman? I guess we will see over time.
For the record, Seth – I invented the “Blue Card” and the Democratic party copied me, not the other way around. Further, I created the “Blue Card” to be a “progressive” card – not a strictly democratic party card. I also created the “Red Card” and the “Purple Card”.
If you’ve read my many articles over the years – you know I endorse candidates, not parties. And by the way, the neighborhood magazines you quickly malign have been regularly published for over 20 years and have a combined monthly circulation of over 70,000 households.
Perhaps, after the election, it would be interesting to examine local self-important lobbyists who spend their time corrupting local government and twisting their “candidates” to their client’s point of view. A working title could be “Here come the clowns.”
Special shout out to “Fair is Fair”. Most of my clients in 2016 won and are currently serving honorably. Further, not only did we not do the referenced Smith PAC communications, my graphics and design team are far more professional than the quality exhibited by the various Committee pieces sent out by any of the Fort Lauderdale candidates, an example of our work would be the final ‘Big Blue – 1-2-3” piece sent out by the Smith campaign.
My firm does work throughout the country, in many jurisdictions and boasts an experienced design team, a digital media team, plus a full technological and evidenced-based ground and GOTV logistics team supported by a fully owned big data platform containing one of the nation’s most extensive registry of voter records, email addresses and telephone numbers. We work with political as well as business and industry clients concerned about strategic communications.
Do you want to pick a fight with me “Fair is Fair” when you don’t even use your name? Be careful next time you use my name and “plagiarize” in the same sentence.
Dan Lewis
FROM BUDDY:
Dan Lewis assures me that he had nothing to do with the Tim Smith ads mentioned in this article. He said he did work for Smith’s campaign, but on earlier ads.
I can vouch for Lewis’s comment that he distributed a “blue card” before it was ever done by the Broward Democratic Party. The blue card is an endorsement card of various Democratic candidates that Lewis distributed.
Some officers of the Democratic Party organization believe they should be the only ones who should use the name “blue card”. They believe the party organization should have the exclusive right to distribute an ad called “Blue Card” that endorses candidates based on their Democratic affiliation.
In reality, the Broward Demo organization has no monopoly on the use of the words “blue cards”. Nor does it have a monopoly on distributing advertising that is colored blue and endorses Democratic candidates.
March 13th, 2018 at 3:28 pm
In all fairness to Seth Platt who I spoke to once, it was when I spoke AGAINST a project he also OPPOSED.
March 13th, 2018 at 6:08 pm
Interesting how Dan Lewis and Seth Platt go out of their way to out-testosterone and out- insult each other. Silliness and immaturity in overabundance. They both think they are all that. That is the problem with consultants with overhyped egos and overinflated opinions of their skill sets and importance. Their type gives lobbyists and political consultants the bad reputation that some but not all deserve. Grow up, gentleman. You’re good but you’re not all that. Ratchet it back a level.
March 13th, 2018 at 8:57 pm
Seiler’s Stooges were overwhelming Defeated. Enough with the Towers and Parties, Lets’ Get to Work!
I beg Mayor Trantalis, Commissioner Glassman and Sorensen to stand by their promises and reign in the over development, fix the infrastructure and shut down that out dated WAVE.
March 13th, 2018 at 9:37 pm
Had Dan Lewis run for mayor I would have voted for him. I met him years ago at a Vision 2020 (?) event at Nova many years ago. IMO he wanted the best for FLL.
Seems he dropped out of the races he started he.
That said, guess there is more than one ‘malcontent’ in FLL.
‘big timmy’ has a whole bunch in district 2. He’ll never respect those that want the best for FLL.
March 14th, 2018 at 9:00 am
Fair is fair is right about one thing, The old time consultants got put out to pasture last night by a new generation of consultants the they listed above, Unlike Stern, Lewis and their ilk, this new generation understands new technologies, the new electorate and doesn’t waste time peeing on each other’s leg.
March 14th, 2018 at 12:12 pm
What’s the big deal about this so called “Blue Card?” It’s just a glorified palm card for Democrat drones with bad memories to be able vote the party line correctly right? Who would even want to claim to have “invented” something like that?
FROM BUDDY:
There are members of the Broward Democratic Executive Committee, the governing leadership of the party organization, who believe they should control who gets nominated to run as a Democrat in the General Election.
I’ll play psychologist a little: Democratic party leaders want to appear to dominate the nomination process to enhance their own importance.
The current Democratic leadership are not telegenic like they previous leader, Mitch Ceasar. Unlike Ceasar who was in the media almost daily peddling the Democratic Party position on various issues, these new leaders are largely faceless drones. These leaders are basically irrelevant in local campaigns and to local politicians.
Because they need a reason to exist in politics, these Broward Democratic Party officers want to appear as if they control the nomination process. Thus distributing an endorsement list of favored candidates to voters before the primary is very important to them.
When Dan Lewis popped up with a competing endorsement list distributed to voters that was designed to look like an official Democratic endorsement list, party officials went ballistic. Lewis’ list was an arrow aimed right at the party leaders’ raison d’être.
March 18th, 2018 at 10:22 pm
Tim Smith, Bruce Roberts, John P. “Jack” Seiler, you’re FINISHED FOR GOOD. If this wasn’t a wake-up call for these 3, nothing will be.
Homophones from the jump and they all tought people were stupid enough to believe their denials.
Put a fork in each of them; they’re DONE.
The people have spoken and we are making sure each of their respective political careers are over.
Their Sugar Plum Fairy thoughts of higher offices are done too. They have helped make the Blues more powerful than the Reds.
Thanks, boys.
March 19th, 2018 at 6:28 am
#18 Where was the Party and leadership when Heather Moraitis walked into a winnable City #1 seat, What Leadership, a bunch of clueless clowns. Cynthia Busch should be removed at the next meeting, for lack of leadership and vision, not to mention working on campaigns while being Chair