Does Satz Finally Get It?
BY BUDDY NEVINS
State Attorney Mike Satz is a quiet guy in public who shies away from tooting his own horn.
But tomorrow he is joining a news conference promoting a new anti-public corruption law.
Does Mike Satz finally get it?
Satz’s PR guru Ron Ishoy, a former columnist for The Miami Herald, sent out an e-mail announcing Satz’s role in the news conference to more than two dozen media types.
Ishoy told me weeks ago that he has been pressing Satz to become more visible in the fight against public corruption.
Satz is finally listening?
The rap against Satz for years is that he is soft on public corruption. He would argue against that perception.
But perceptions are reality in politics. It could threaten his re-eleciton, unless he does something about it…now.
Satz’s term is up in 2012.
To be re-elected, he needs to spend the next two years trumpeting every victory his office has over public corruption. He needs to personally announce public corruption arrests and convictions at news conferences, just like the feds do.
He has the ability to make himself as visible as the sheriff.
The voting public wants their state attorney to be a bulldog, and he physically looks the part — compact with folds of skin standing out on his mostly-bald head.
If I was Satz, I would put that bulldog face on TV early and often.
And tomorrow, bogart that microphone. Think up some zippy sound bites, that will make the evening news. Or have Ishoy write them.
It’s never too early to start your re-election.
XXXXX
Here is Satz’s news release:
PRESS CONFERENCE
State Sen. Dan Gelber, State Attorney Michael McAuliffe of Palm Beach, Broward State Attorney Mike Satz and State Rep. Ari Porth will hold a press conference to discuss the proposed “Restoring Faith in Public Office Act at noon Friday, Feb. 5th in room 562 in the central wing of the Broward County Courthouse, 201 SE 6th Street in Fort Lauderdale. Camera set up will begin at 11:40 a.m. For further information, contact Ron Ishoy, communications manager, Broward State Attorney’s Office, at (954) 831-7910.
Feb. 3, 2010
Legislators, State Attorneys propose “Restoring Faith in Public Office Act
Key legislators and state attorneys are pushing a new state public corruption law to help prosecutors enhance their ability to prosecute corrupt actions by public officials.
The bill, written by Broward County State Attorney Mike Satz and Palm Beach County State Attorney Michael McAuliffe, bolsters the state’s present Official Misconduct law by imposing tougher criminal penalties on a public servant who, with corrupt intent, willfully fails to disclose certain financial interests and other benefits.
“This bill is important because it closes the loopholes in the law, Mr. Satz said. “There have been cases in the past where prosecutors have felt that the behavior of a public official clearly was corrupt, but the existing law did not allow prosecution of that behavior. This bill changes that.
Said Mr. McAuliffe: “As Florida’s elected prosecutors, we have a responsibility to protect the public from physical harm, but as importantly, protect the public from the real and lasting harm caused by corrupt officials who violate the public’s trust. This bill gives us a new and valuable tool to catch and prosecute corrupt public servants in our communities.
The proposed new law, called the “Restoring Faith in Public Office Act, is being sponsored in the Florida Senate by State Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami and co-sponsored by State Sen. Nan Rich of Weston. It is being sponsored in the Florida House by State Rep. Ari Porth, who is also a prosecutor in the 17th Circuit in Broward. The bill numbers are SB1076 and HB585.
“As a former federal corruption prosecutor, I know first hand the challenges these cases present, Senator Gelber said. “This measure gives law enforcement a clear mandate to investigate the types of conflicts that diminish faith in government, as well as a much-needed tool in their anti-corruption arsenal. My hope is that the Legislature will embrace the reforms that have eluded it in previous years.”
The new law will prove an effective tool for state prosecutors, Porth said.
“Politicians need to be reminded why they first ran for office, and to be ever vigilant of the special trust the public has placed in their hands, Porth said. “When those in positions of trust take advantage of their office for selfish greed, the law needs to support swift, strong and appropriate penalties.
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February 4th, 2010 at 9:42 am
Stop stealing Gelin’s material, lol.
February 4th, 2010 at 10:24 am
I guess the man he is endoring for attorney general Dan Gelber will be there for publicity for his race,it still wont help.say good bye to Gelber in 2010,and then over tough(lol)State attorney Michael Satz in 2012
February 4th, 2010 at 10:28 am
I vote for the pictured Bulldog
February 4th, 2010 at 10:32 am
Now is the time. There is so much swirling out there undermining the confidence of the public in those who are supposed to be representing our best interests.
County Commission under attack
School Board under attack
Deerfield Commission constantly under attack
Sunrise Commissioner saying publicly in meetings other Commissioners are doing the bidding of friends and buddies or in pockets of waste company
Does Satz not read the same stuff we all do?
FROM BUDDY: Better late than never.
He remains the State Attorney at least from now until November 2012.
February 4th, 2010 at 12:50 pm
Buddy: agree, but lets see what he does with this opportunity to begin making elected officials worry about another pair of eyes watching them. Hope you will be at the conference to report back honestly about what happened and what to expect.
February 4th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
Great advice lets politicize this position as much as possible. Are you kidding me do you even think before you write? Follow the facts, not advice and rumors from columnists and trolls.
FROM BUDDY: I actually believe it is great advice. Its the kind of advice I could get paid a lot of money to give.
People shouldn’t be afraid of crowing about their own achievements. Satz owes it to the public to tell them what he is doing to combat public corruption.
I don’t view my post as politicizing the office since the office is already politicized. After all, Satz’s is elected. The idea that the elected state attorney is not a political position is naive.
February 4th, 2010 at 3:50 pm
If you do go to the press conference,could you ask satz if he is going to investigate his campaign manger Barbara Miller,her ties to the school board and the pyrtle ,interesting?????????????
February 4th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Nona: Dont be naive.
1. It is a political position.
2. Not attacking corruption is a form of politicizing the position by deciding to avoid the barbs of politicians for attacking them.
3. His job IS to attack corruption and illegality and to do it a very public way sometimes to make clear what we will not tolerate — that is not politicizing the position, it is doing your job.
And, Buddy, while maybe asking Alert’s questions, can you ask about Deerfield, Sunrise, and other commissions that are constantly in the news?
February 4th, 2010 at 5:51 pm
Buddy;
You want corruption? We are experts at it up here in Deerfield Beach.
Satz is part of the problem, but the blame is not only on his watch. Governments don’t want to investigate one of their own… Especially two black female elected officials currently in office (more about that in a bit).
Citizen apathy also plays a huge role. John Q. Public is an expert blog commenter, especially anonymous troll baiter, but actually get involved? Devote a year of their life? Without any financial benefit? You are sooner to expel a monkey out of your arse…
For the last year, I have been investigating Deerfield Beach Commissioner Sylvia Poitier and every rock I turned over, something nasty crawled out from under…
No one in town did anything about it, mainly due to the protection of former City Manager Mike Mahaney… Who, I might add, once went out to collect cash from a Poitier business to keep their water service on… Their check bounced BTW.
Mahaney, a consummate liar and politician clothed as a City Manager, was
a supposed friend of my family who termed me a drunk, womanizing, radioactive asshole.
I’ll go with 2 outta da 4.
Anyway, Mahaney is gone (good fucking riddance) and thanks to Acting Manager Burgess Hanson finally doing the right thing (not a common occurrence here in town), tomorrow everyone can expect the City of Deerfield Beach to launch an external balls to the wall investigation into our Public Housing Department. Millions of dollars are potentially at stake in this cluster fuck.
Our Grants Department, staffed with incompetent individuls who were, as the City termed them, “way too cozy†with Team Poitier, spent significant money without Commission authorization. Shuffled money between various State and Federal programs. Sizeable chunks of paperwork missing or perhaps destroyed. No oversight or accounting.
The common denominator for all of the issues? That scum fucking bag Sylvia Poitier and State Representative Gwyn Clark Reed.
IMO, the pincers are quickly closing around Poitier and it’s a matter of *when*, not if, she’s arrested for a variety of crimes.
Sylvia dearie. I told you I was coming after you. Told you I was really good. Told you I wouldn’t stop. You can climb down from your chair on the dais and address me from the podium. As if that is going to stop LE from putting some jailhouse bling bling on your wrists.
You can send your goon squad and kin after me. Do you think I am afraid of them? That sound you hear is my mocking you.
Fuck you. Fuck them. You should never have been elected. The citizens of District #2 made a big mistake. One that I intend to correct.
Everyone else. I am writing a book. Be out in summer 2010. Titled “My Politics Are Local“. It’s a DIY guide on how one person can make a difference. 25% of the profits will be donated to Woman In Distress.
One person, enraged and engaged, can make a difference. Follow my blog tomorrow. Big news… I’ll show you how it’s done.
And to Sylvia, I leave you with this. The end is nigh. Dress accordingly.
Chaz Stevens, Genius
MyActsOfSedition.com
February 4th, 2010 at 5:58 pm
By the way, I will be going to that press conference and have a 1-on-1 meeting with Tim Donnelly after the fandango.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:46 am
Nona,
Do they pay you to come out and say such stupid things? Clearly you are against the idea of going after bad guys who abuse their powers as elected officials.
Are you and elected official or just an aide to one?
Either way please request, pick up and ingest a full dose of reality because you are clearly lost in another dimension.
Satz is the one who is supposed to prosecute (and/or investigate depending on who the complaint goes to) but he is lame and involved in so many conflicts that the only thing that he has is the title. Will he now represent the spouses of his Asst. State Attys if they divorce???? Come On.
February 5th, 2010 at 6:26 am
Why was the School Board corruption overlooked by Satz for many years and finally the feds came in?
Why isn’t Satz looking at the unnecessary construction of various schools, including the $120 million Taj Mahal in Pembroke Pines along U. S. 27 where no students live?
Why did Satz wait years before looking into the purchase of a swamp to build a school?
Why isn’t Satz investigating the “arrangements” between county commissioners, their law practices and their votes?
Why isn’t Satz investigating the garbage contracts in Sunrise, the county and Hollywood?
Why? Why? Why?
February 5th, 2010 at 7:18 am
Sorry Satz, it is too late. All it will take is one viable candidate to emerge, and you will be gone, with prejudice! The only chance Satz has, and it is a very slim one, is for him to clean up public corruption in Broward County to the point that it effects real change in the political landscape such as ridding us of the lobbyists (like his campaign manager Barbara Miller), enforcing the Sunshine Law, and aggressively pursuing allegations and issues that arise through the local blogs and their commenters. He also needs to stop the practice of going to the leaders of local institutions to discuss issues brought to the SAO by insiders like city, county, and school board employees under the premise of giving the institutions the chance to clean up their own act, which if it is not already illegal, ought to be. The last practice has already hurt whistleblower type employees’ career opportunities to benfit the clients of the local lobbyists.
The more I write the more I realize that there is no hope for Satz. I was trying to offer him encouragement so something might get done. The truth is that after what could have been an illustrious 30 plus year career, his legacy will be one of shame and disgrace as a new State Attorney is swept into office on a wave of anti-corruption fervor driven by a lengthy slate of arrests by Federal Agents that serve to expose the long years of complicity in public corruption by the soon to be former State Attorney and highlight the difference between honest services by public officials and the service that Broward County has been given by the disgraced Mike Satz, sitzonhishands.
February 5th, 2010 at 9:47 am
satz’s head is permanently cricked to the side because of the decades he has looked the other way on public corruption. this look has resulted in movie directors calling from hollywood to ask satz to star as Quasimodo in the new redo of the Hunchback of Notre Dame (he is competing for the role against sheil alu)
February 5th, 2010 at 11:55 am
Wow….
City of Deerfield Beach admits possible fraudulent actitivies in our housing department which may lead to a sitting Commissioner.
Wow.
Read the story.
February 6th, 2010 at 5:12 am
Hey, here’s a question for Satz. If he is busy trying to come up with a new law to nab corrupt public officials, why doesn’t he start by forgetting about the “official misconduct” facet of their crimes and call it what it is…treason.
These actions are treasonous and are a detriment to not only the taxpayers…but the total society. Make the punishment fit the crime. If an elected commits a crime against the state and its people then they should be guilty of treason. By stealing from the people and weakening the effectiveness of government these people threaten to undermine and/or overthrow the existing structure while injuring the sovereign.
February 7th, 2010 at 5:06 pm
chaz, why would you talk about deerfield when this article has nothing to do with it; because you are self serving because you were involved in filing a complaint against sylvia p, yeah that must be it.
you are a gadfly moaner groaner that everybody is corrupt; if so, why don’t you step up to the plate and run yourself, instead of being a “whiny yell but not improve the process while you are yelling and whining” do nothing. bring some answers, man because all you do is bitch everyone is bad.
GET UP AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, BRING SOME ANSWERS AND SOLUTIONS BUT YOU DON’T HAVE ANY, DO YOU?
and refocus, if you are going to write in regards to alu and courthouse, do so, otherwise, just go away!