Update: Charlotte Rodstrom Running To Replace Hubby
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Less than a month after her re-election victory, Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner Charlotte Rodstrom has begun a campaign for county commission.
Charlotte and John Rodstrom
Charlotte filed papers late Friday allowing her to receive contributions for a campaign for the county commission seat now held by her husband, John Rodstrom.
John is term limited and must leave office after the November election. He said he could no longer hold back his wife’s career while he awaits a Florida Supreme Court decision on the validity of term limits.
“I believe that they will rule to overturn the law, but it will come too late,” John Rodstrom told Browardbeat.com.
He said his wife’s run to replace him was “deadly serious.”
News in Browardbeat.com that Charlotte was running prompted former Commissioner Tim Smith to point out that she will have to resign under Florida’s Resign to Run Law…even if she loses. He opines in his Tim Smith’s Fort Lauderdale blog that she should pick up the tab for any special election that is required.
Charlotte joins a crowed field including three other Democrats — former County Commissioner Ken Keechl, former County Commission candidate Robert McKinzie and Jerome Clair. Democratic state Rep. Evan Jenne of Dania Beach has said he will enter the race shortly.
Heavily-Democrat Commission District 7 includes all of Wilton Manors and Dania Beach, plus parts of central Fort Lauderdale, northern Hollywood and eastern Davie
Living in Fort Lauderdale more than 50 years, Charlotte is a former airline flight attendent who became a PTA leader, a civic activist and a member of the city’s Planning Board before winning a seat on the city commission in 2006. She easily won re-election against two opponents on Jan. 31 with 78.69 percent of the vote.
John, a former Fort Lauderdale commission member, moved up to the county commission in 1992.
Like her husband John, Charlotte is known as a commissioner who believes in development controlled within strict guidelines and conservative fiscal policies.
John has been lobbying his wife to replace him on the county commission, but talked little about it publicly while she was running for re-election to the city post. “She would make a terrific county commissioner,” John Rodstrom told Browardbeat.com earlier this year.
February 18th, 2012 at 8:53 am
Knowing all along that she was going to run in this August’s Democratic primary for County Commission, she should have done the honest and noble thing and stepped down from the City Commission. Her actions speak to her character and all voters in her district should feel used.
February 18th, 2012 at 10:47 am
What a complete sham.
February 18th, 2012 at 3:39 pm
Keechl will win!
February 18th, 2012 at 3:52 pm
You know, I have always supported Charlotte for city commissioner, but I have to agree that this is a complete fraud.
To run for re-election and before the final city elections are even finalized (except for hers, of course) she announces she’s going to run for another office.
Count me very disappointed.
February 18th, 2012 at 3:55 pm
Does this mean that if the Florida Supreme Court overturns Broward’s terms limits, Charlotte will be running against her husband???
February 18th, 2012 at 6:41 pm
So now we’re going to have to pay for a special election just so we can butter the egos of the Rodstroms?
Not getting my support and will work as hard as possible to make sure she’s defeated.
February 18th, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Given Florida’s resign to run law, how much money is Charlotte costing tax payers when the city is forced to run a special election to replace her? How is this the action of someone who is “fiscally conservative”, or did you mean to say political opportunist?
February 19th, 2012 at 9:42 am
Florida’s resign to run law exists only to protect the present incubency of higher office holders. It serves no other useful purpose and is unheard of in most states.
It should be abolished so we can encourage the most qualified people to serve in every elected office. The public wins when office holders are constantly challenged to defend their records. Repeal resign to run laws.
February 19th, 2012 at 10:55 am
Who does Stern choose Jenne or Rodstrom?
Or neither and just works for one while helping the other in the shadows. You know what I mean Angelo….
FROM BUDDY:
This is actually an interesting question being discussed by Broward pols. Well-known and much-discussed political consultant Judy Stern has allegedly agreed to help Evan Jenne. Now her good friend Charlotte Rodstrom is running, too.
Who does she back?
February 19th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Well the news broke here first!! although Tim Smith blog has more ranting and raving. Thank you Scott for waking up the sleeping proliteriat. Out of 26,039 district 2 voters only 3,853 voted
(14.8%) so only those that voted can rant, right? But its actions like this that turn off the other 85% who don’t bother becaause they think its a joke or know they don’t matter.
She has to turn in a resignation before qualifying but can ‘serve’ FLL till November. Lots of votes between now and then!!
February 19th, 2012 at 6:56 pm
Well Buddy in my opinion the fact that the Rodstroms broke the story to you first is worth reporting in its self. Finally a canidate w/ better hair than the ‘gay goddess” Ken Keechl.
February 19th, 2012 at 11:13 pm
Two Fort Lauderdale officers cleared of falsifying traffic arrest report.
According to a Jan. 4 memo from the State Attorney’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office didn’t find any sign police had performed the car tag search because its office’s investigator checked records “using the wrong tag number.”
The State Attorney’s Office found that the officers did run the tag through a database, and that they had reason to pull over Gemelus when the database said the Honda driven by Gemelus was an unknown vehicle.
February 20th, 2012 at 10:59 pm
What is this? Argentina?