It’s Getting Crowded! Ex-Sunrise Commissioner Is Eighth Candidate For State Attorney

BY BUDDY NEVINS

Sheila Alu, a prosecutor for over a decade and a former Sunrise City Commissioner, announced this week that she is running for Broward State Attorney.

Alu is the eighth candidate in the race to replace veteran State Attorney Mike Satz, who is retiring.

Sheila Alu and her granddaughter (Facebook)

Always known as a maverick while on the commission, Alu’s candidacy is no different. In a highly unusual move for the one-time Executive Director of the Broward Democratic Party, Alu is running as an independent.

The seven other candidates are Democrats.

Having an independent candidacy on the ballot means that only Democrats will be able to pick the nominee in that party’s primary. It also means that victory will be tougher for Alu because Democrats have such an overwhelming lead in Broward’s voters registration.

Here is the news release announcing her campaign:

Prosecutor and proven corruption fighter Sheila Alu announces 2020 run for State Attorney

With hope and excitement for the future of Broward County, I am running as an independent candidate to become your next State Attorney for the 17th Judicial Circuit.

My decade of service as an elected Sunrise city commissioner and tenure as a prosecutor have prepared me like no other candidate running for this position. During my eleven years as a prosecutor, I have learned every facet of our State Attorney’s Office. I have prosecuted cases from the misdemeanor unit to juvenile, sex crimes and the felony trial unit.  I know exactly what needs to be done to improve the office and bring the highest level of justice to Broward County.

I will focus on prosecuting violent criminals, and I will work to get guns out of the hands of criminals and those who are mentally unstable. At the same time, I will use the power of the office to ensure that those suffering from drug addiction and alcoholism get rehabilitation instead of incarceration. I will work tirelessly toward aggressively prosecuting those responsible for dealing dangerous opiates causing death to our children, increasing resources to combat sex trafficking, instituting a true mental health diversion program, eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for non-violent crimes, reforming the cash bail system, and decriminalizing minimal amounts of marijuana possession.  

Accomplishing these initiatives will take a fight and that is what I do best. More than anyone else in this race, I have a proven track record with powerful results:

After my ex-husband, a police detective, was severely burned in a hostage rescue in 1995, I went on a mission to make sure that all police officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty are guaranteed continuing health insurance, which led to the passage of the Alu/O’Hara Public Safety Benefits Act.

As a Sunrise city commissioner, I was an advocate for the environment, for open and transparent government, and for pension reform. When major business and lobbying interests tried to build a huge commercial development west of the Sawgrass Expressway on the edge of the Everglades, I fought it and won, giving a rare victory to our River of Grass.

While on the Sunrise commission, I agreed to work with federal agents on a major investigation that led to the ouster and criminal conviction of several unethical politicians who betrayed the public’s trust. When elected your State Attorney, I will continue to make sure public officials, including police officers act with the highest ethical conduct that you deserve and demand.

 As a single mother, I put myself through law school while serving on the Sunrise commission and worked as the Executive Director of the Broward Democratic Party. For several years, I served both as a commissioner and a prosecutor before I chose not to seek reelection in 2012. That heart-wrenching decision shocked many, especially since my reelection was all but guaranteed. I simply needed to devote my energy to my true passion: bringing criminals to justice and protecting our community. That’s what I’ve been doing ever since and what I will continue doing as your State Attorney.

Our Country has been polarized by partisan politics like never before. As headlines remind us every day, politics and justice don’t mix. That’s why I’m running as an independent candidate without party affiliation (NPA).  Nothing will get in the way of my work — and my fight — for you.



9 Responses to “It’s Getting Crowded! Ex-Sunrise Commissioner Is Eighth Candidate For State Attorney”

  1. Makes No Sense says:

    I know Ms. Alu well enough to know that she is not a consensus builder. I cannot speak to her record as a prosecutor. However, I think that your description of her as a “maverick” is somewhat understated. To run an office you need to get along with people and respect process. As Trump has demonstrated, what we need is competence not disruptors. I am just wondering why she is not running in the democratic primary.

  2. disgruntled says:

    go girl go

  3. FTL Voter says:

    Wonder why she is running as an Independent. She’s a smart lady and knows politics, so she’s gotta know an Independent just cannot win in Broward. Not ever going to happen. So why bother putting in all the effort and time knowing that?

  4. City activist Robert Walsh says:

    To some of the other canidates for SA- watch her..( short leash)

  5. Sam Singer says:

    I believe she is a FBI informant that has ties to Donald Trump, isn’t that true Buddy?

    FROM BUDDY:

    She was an FBI informant in the investigation of various politicians and others in Broward about a decade ago. I know nothing about any connection with Trump.

  6. ASA says:

    You must be kidding

  7. Eleanor says:

    #5 was she involved with Scott Rothstein also?

  8. Shiela (only) fan says:

    Apparently I was misquoted in my post above making my comment look positive rather than negative which was the intent. Please remove my prior comment if you’re not going to post accurately. Thank you

    FROM BUDDY:

    First of all, why could you care since you use an anonymous name. Second, I reserve the right to edit comments. Yours didn’t meet my standards.

  9. Chaz Stevens says:

    Hey Buddy;

    I’d like to discuss your unpublished commenting standards as it pertains to the word “fuck.”

    For those just tuning into the English language, fuck is a magical word that can be used to describe pain, pleasure, love, and hate.

    For fucking instance, the word fuck can:

    * Be used as a verb both transitive (John fucked Mary) and intransitive (Mary was fucked by John).
    * Be an action verb (John really gives a fuck), a passive verb (Mary really doesn’t give a fuck), an adverb (Mary is fucking interested in John), or as a noun (Mary is a terrific fuck).

    Since your “commenting standards” aren’t published, can you clarify the following for the fucking audience?

    1. How many “fucks” are allowed per sentence?

    2. Is there a cap for the number of fucks per thought, rejoiner, or paragraph?

    3. What about fuck sub-genres? For instance, bumblefuck, bumfuck Egypt, or clusterfuck?

    4a. Let us pause to consider derivatives like “major cluster fuck” or “Mongolian cluster fuck” – albeit both are close cousins to a “Double Barrel Cluster Fuck.”

    5. For the mathematically inclined, I opine “fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck” is one degree higher than “fuck fuck fuck fuck.” And personally, I feel, the former packs more of a fucking punch. “Fuck fuck fuck fuck” is just fucking weak sauce.

    6. Those in customer service can appreciate “fuck this, fuck that, fuck me, fuck you, fuck off.”

    So, in summation, I will leave you to consider this amazing fucking quote by Samuel L. Jackson: “Well, I’m a mushroom-cloud-layin’ motherfucker, motherfucker! Every time my fingers touch brain, I’m Superfly T.N.T., I’m the Guns of the Navarone! IN FACT, WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOIN’ IN THE BACK? YOU’RE THE MOTHERFUCKER WHO SHOULD BE ON BRAIN DETAIL! We’re fuckin’ switchin’! I’m washin’ the windows, and you’re pickin’ up this *’s skull!”

    Chaz Stevens

    FROM BUDDY:

    The word loses its impact when it is overused.

    That said this is humorous, Chaz. Its off topic, but because it caused me to chuckle I posted it.