Late GOP Candidate Is First To Qualify
BY BUDDY NEVINS
He might have been the last Republican in the northeast Broward state House race, but George Moraitis has gathered enough signatures on petitions to be on the 2010 ballot.
Moraitis entered the GOP primary on Nov. 16. His two opponents Yomin Postelnik and David Maymon have been running since last June.
Maymon has a big head start on money with over $127,000, half of it his own. Moraitis has $51,430, while Postelnik has just over $11,000.
The District 91 seat leans Republican and is held by state Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale. She is leaving the House to run for state Senate.
Here is Moraitis’ news release:
MORAITIS FIRST TO REACH GRASSROOTS PETITION GOAL
TO QUALIFY FOR ELECTION TO STATE HOUSE DISTRICT 91
FT LAUDERDALE, FL – Candidate for State House of Representatives District 91 George Moraitis announced today that he has secured enough petitions to qualify for the 2010 ballot. Gathered from neighborhoods throughout the coastal Broward and Palm Beach County District, the achievement shows an outpouring of active support for Moraitis.
“I entered this race just weeks ago, so it is exciting to reach this critical goal first,” said Moraitis. “It is clear our back to basics, hardworking approach is connecting with the voters in a very effective way.”
George Moraitis was born and raised in the Fort Lauderdale community, and he graduated from Fort Lauderdale High School before earning his appointment to the United States Naval Academy where he graduated with distinction. George then served as a submarine officer for seven years earning the Navy Commendation Medal and Navy Achievement Medal before continuing his service in the Navy Reserve.
Later, George attended the University of Florida Law School where he graduated first in his class. George returned to Fort Lauderdale to raise his family with his wife, Heather, and his two daughters, Alexis and Catherine, and joined a respected local law practice. He is a Board Member of Westminster Academy, a Board Member of WAFG radio station, and is an active volunteer in his church and in other charities throughout the community. George is also a member of the Florida Bar and member of the Attorney’s Real Estate Council and Broward Attorney’s Real Estate Council.
George and Heather have been married for 14 years. The Moraitis family is active in the Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church where George served as a deacon.
January 25th, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Did you see all of these petitions Buddy ?
January 25th, 2010 at 9:13 pm
I hate to be negative, but gathering 959 petitions to qualify doesn’t sound like that big of a deal to me….
FROM BUDDY: I just report this stuff.
Some pols believe that gathering signatures provides a test for a campaign organization, proving it has some grass roots abilities. It doesn’t appear from his financial report that he paid someone to collect the signatures.
January 25th, 2010 at 9:44 pm
They’ll all qualify. Checked out the campaign finance returns. Your figures are off. Maymon 128K, George 52K, Yomin 18K
FYI
FROM BUDDY: My figures aren’t off. They only include hard cash, not “in-kind” contributions, which are vague and usually inaccurate. Yomin has a number of “in-kind” contributions which are hard to place a value on, such as for public relations.
January 26th, 2010 at 8:33 am
Buddy,
He doesn’t need to pay anyone. His wife is the campaign manager. She walks around and collects them.
January 26th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
I think that petition gathering on a state level like Kendrick Meek is trying to do, needing more than 100,000, is certainly indicative of having grass roots abilities.
Having to get 959 in a district like House 91 where you just have a couple of volunteers hit the condos they live in, is not that difficult.
It’s what they do with the voters represented by those petitions that is far more telling. I worked on one campaign that qualified by petition and they did little to follow up with those voters. After election day it was found that less than 25% of those who signed petitions actually voted in the election!
January 27th, 2010 at 8:53 am
Just wondering if it’s so easy and not a big deal why haven’t the other 2 accomplished this goal after 7 months in the race? They are worried about Moraitis because he has the grassroots army to win. Go George!
January 27th, 2010 at 7:32 pm
Tom Gallagher had a grassroots army of thousands and lost by over 30 points. If your candidate doesn’t connect with voters nothing else matters. Maymon, Postelnik and Moraitis are all running grassroots campaigns so please settle down and take a deep breath – There is a long way to go.
February 20th, 2010 at 11:09 am
Maymon’s grass roots are in the Everglades where he grew up. He lives in an apartment in east Ft. Lauderdale. If that makes it easier to get petitions signed then why did he spend over $4000. on a mailer requesting them? He is burning money much faster than he can raise it.
Thank you for reporting the facts Buddy – Moraitis for 91.