Update: Castillo Wins Big; Former Sentinel Editor Appointed In LHP
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Sometimes the dirt doesn’t stick and the nasty campaigning doesn’t work.
Angelo Castillo is back on the Pembroke Pines City Commission, overcoming a vicious and false campaign by his opponent Mike Rubinstein.
He buried Rubinstein in one of the biggest landslides I remember 87 to 13 percent.
Castillo and his wealthy of ideas about cutting the cost of government and fiscal responsibility are back on the county stage.
I welcome him. I predict that someday he will be running for county or state office.
But Angelo, I still hate red light cameras that you support.
XXXXX
Now a personal note.
I want to publicly congratulate my former boss Earl Maucker on his appointment to the Lighthouse Point City Commission.
I worked for Earl for something like three decades. He was first managing editor, which is second-in-command in a newsroom. He then was appointed editor of the Sun-Sentinel in the early 1990s.
The operative word is worked for him. I retired and I don’t have to kiss his ass. I don’t have to brown nose. I don’t think I ever did, because I always believed I could tell Earl exactly how I felt.
That’s the kind of manager Earl was. His door was always open and he would always listen. He has a wealth of management experience and skill in finessing tough budgets (The Tribune Company was always squeezing the Sun-Sentinel, even in good times). He has decades of watching government and a lifetime of handling complaints from readers.
Lighthouse Point is lucky to have him even for a short time. According to the Sun-Sentinel, Earl will only be in office until March when a new commissioner is elected.
January 12th, 2011 at 9:55 am
Congrats to Angelo. Although I don’t always agree with him, I figure he must be doing something right in Pembroke Pines. The Police and Fire Fighters loathe him.
January 12th, 2011 at 10:44 am
Buddy – Astute observation about Castillo’s political for career, particularly prescient since he just ran for the county commission and vanished in the primary by a little known, relatively inexperienced democrat named Barbara Sharief. Castillo is viewed as confrontational and has many negatives once you cross his city’s line.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:17 pm
Castillo is a good guy and even better public servant.
Red Light Cameras help save lives, and allow police to prioritize their resources.
January 12th, 2011 at 12:22 pm
Dear Buddy,
Thank you for your good wishes. I plan to continue fighting for social justice, fiscal responsibility and integrity in government. I’m humbled by the support received and am ready to get back to work in my city.
Drive carefully.
Regards,
Angelo
January 12th, 2011 at 3:05 pm
Thanks for the kind words, Buddy. I’m very much looking forward to serving as a Lighthouse Point commissioner even though it’s for a short time.
Keep up the good work.
Earl
January 12th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Hey Buddy —
Senator John brings out an issue I hope you’ll explore more with us. Few have seen it locally with the depth you have.
Write us about the relationships you’ve seen between unions and public officials — What’s that really all about? I encourage you to ndress it utterly. Tell it like it is. The ups and the downs, the expectations, what happens.
I’ve been a supporter of police, fire and general employees all my life. I want them to do well and value their service. You can’t make it as far as I have in government not feeling that way. My voting record shows that.
At the same time, there are limits on what can be done for employees during a terrible recession with 10% unemployment and tons of residents begging their officials to hold the line on taxes. If making tough decisions under those constraints somehow makes us anti-labor, sorry. But I call that an unfair labor practice.
Discuss.
Angelo
January 12th, 2011 at 3:54 pm
Nevins, you saw a different Earl Maucker than I did.
He was none of the things you mentioned. He was mediocre bureaucrat who was responsible for firing half the staff I worked with.
FROM BUDDY: You are entitled to your anonymous opinion.
I will say that Earl was not “responsible” for firing the staff. The newspaper business was and still is in the toilet. The Tribune Company was bought by a lunatic who drove it into bankruptcy. None of these causes were the fault of Earl, who I’m told (I had already left.) did his best to protect as many of the employees as he could.
January 12th, 2011 at 7:51 pm
Yo Angelo – you asked Buddy to “Write us about the relationships you’ve seen between unions and public officials — What’s that really all about?”
Have you seen the license plate on your mayor’s car? The Pines mayor is OWNED and OPERATED by the unions. Maybe other commissioners as well.
Congrats on being reelected – PP needs you.
Discuss.
January 12th, 2011 at 9:54 pm
Voter,
You’d have to ask the Mayor about his license plate. I think he’d say he’s proud to be a union man. I support labor also even if my license plate is standard issue.
But I’ll tell you this much.
The Mayor and I do sometimes disagree on issues. But make no mistake. Frank Ortis has tons and tons of guts. The things he does come from his heart and nobody, but nobody, loves Pembroke Pines more than he does.
Tough circumstances forced us to cast difficult votes to save our city from bankruptcy. It was not enjoyable. Nobody stood taller than Frank Ortis because nobody had more at stake. Pines would have crumbled had we not taken the painful actions we took. And everyone knew it including the unions.
After Frank’s many years as a labor leader, he had a right to expected his people to understand. Instead, relative newcomers to the movement, without so much as a fraction of Frank’s accomplishments, chose to call him anti-union. Imagine that — Frank Ortis and anti-union in the same sentence! Simply because he lived up to his oath. Unimaginable.
Now, it’s up to you Voter but I’d give him some slack.
He endured twice the name calling I did, the same hard to figure and capricious behavior, and let’s not forget endorsement threats. All because he stood tall and did his duty. Call that what you want. I call it an unfair labor practice.
Making tough choices is what they elect us to do. Someone gets upset no matter how you vote. So you make the best choices you can while treating everyone as kindly and gently as circumstances permit. You do your honest level best. Wherever the chips fall, they call that history.
Either you’re the kind of person that can live with that situation or don’t run for office. But officials have no right to hold hard feelings. No grudges ever, that’s wrong. Every day is a clean slate and that’s how I will be returning into public service.
Thanks for your good wishes.
Peace.
Angelo
January 13th, 2011 at 7:59 am
Buddy is right about Earl. He was a loss to the Sun-Sentinel when he left and we at this time are managed from Orlando by people who know nothing and care less about Fort Lauderdale. The paper is a laugh and those of us unfortunate enough to still work here can’t believe anybody buys it.
January 13th, 2011 at 8:15 am
Check out the post above. “Sun-Sentinel…managed from Orlando by people who know nothing and care less about Fort Lauderdale.” Wow.
January 13th, 2011 at 8:53 am
Buddy
You could have mentioned Margate’s election. We had 13 candidates, numerous bigots and everything thrown at us but we still won.
Le
Commissioner Elect
January 13th, 2011 at 10:08 am
Wow, out of nowhere Angelo wants Buddy to investigate and comment on the relationship between unions and electeds.
I am sure it has nothing at all to do with sour grapes over not getting the PBA endorsement last summer.
Take a look at the comments on this thread and judge for yourself…
http://www.browardbeat.com/sources-wasserman-rubin-broke/
Discuss….
January 13th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
Hey Riddle,
Here’s how it works with me and blogs. I sign my name and I don’t ask anyone to write for me. As to others, take your issues up with them. I looked at your link and don’t happen to agree with their premise either.
I have no hard feelings toward anyone. Just today and yesterday, I heard from several union officials wishing me well. They know I carry no grudges. It wouldn’t be right and besides, I don’t have to.
My sense of respect amd good feeling for our police, fire and general employees is decades long and unchanged.
Warm congratulations to my new colleagues, my old friend Earl Mauker and Le Peerman. Well done to you both and all success.
Angelo
January 13th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Angelo and Earl
Congratulations!!! I look forward to meeting you at commissioner type events.
Le