Parkland’s Udine Gets Jump On County Commission Seat
BY BUDDY NEVINS
If Broward Mayor Stacy Ritter takes a job with the new administration in Washington, there will be a scramble for her seat.
One politician has a head start— Parkland Mayor Michael Udine.
Here is the story:
An open county commission seat is a prize in Broward politics.
Commissioners hold less than 40 full meetings a year. For instance, they didn’t meet Tuesday because it was Inauguration Day. Many of the rest of us had to work.
They get $90,000-plus for this part time job.
Add to that a sizeable pension, which has become rare in the private sector. And generous medical insurance.
A sweet deal.
If Ritter leaves, Gov. Charlie Crist appoints her replacement. The replacement serves until the next election in 2010.
One veteran Republican who lives in the district is Rhonda Calhoun, a former Coral Springs commissioner. She is currently a gubernatorial appointee to the board that runs the North Broward Hospital District.
Regardless of who is appointed, all bets would be on the strongest Democrat in next year’s election. The district is heavily Democratic.
Udine now has a jump on the crowd, which could include city and state politicians.
The Parkland mayor snared a big endorsement Wednesday from Marc Sultanoff.
Sultanoff is a big deal in Democratic politics, especially in Ritter’s northwest Broward district.
He’s the head of the Kings Point Democratic Club. The Kings Point condominium complex is one of the biggest voting blocs in Broward.
So when Sultanoff told the club membership Wednesday that Udine “my choice to replace Ritter, it was a coup for the Parkland pol.
Sultanoff didn’t stop at praise. The Parkland mayor was allowed to give a short speech introducing himself to the Tamarac crowd.
Udine said modestly that any talk about replacing Ritter was premature. She hasn’t packed her bags for Washington yet.
But he was smiling from ear-to-ear after Sultanoff’s endorsement.
January 21st, 2009 at 7:41 pm
Udine a countycommissioner?
He can hardly handle Parkland. He has a beautiful smile, which I know so much about. That is all there is to him.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Michael deserves to be a county commission and we will finally get the recognition and the aid that Parkland has long deserved. We have many of the leaders of this community living here and all anybody does is dump on our fine town.
January 21st, 2009 at 8:50 pm
Stacy Ritter is from Parkland!! And from the looks of it the only place she’s going to be headed is to jail, not to DC!
January 22nd, 2009 at 5:56 am
Broward Voter is insane. Stacy Ritter is the best! She will be a bonus to Obama in any job she takes and will be our loss, too. You go girl!
January 22nd, 2009 at 9:08 am
LOL, in any job she takes??? Really, what is it she’s qualified to do? She didn’t pass a single piece of meaningful legislation in her 8 years in Tallahassee… the best thing she got out of it was a rich husband. Read today’s Sun Sentinel Cholly… no way on earth Obama brings her to DC with that kinda baggage.
FROM BUDDY: The story in the Sun-Sentinel was about Ritter’s husband, not her. He was sued by two shady characters on their way to jail. Law suits are relatively common in big business and filing one proves nothing. However, he was in a very sleezy business — viatical insurance.
January 22nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I don’t think Obama’s crew will hand anything of importance to Ritter that she will actually take, BUT, none of us are sure. Afterall, She is the “Mayor” of Broward County now and you seriously think she will drop that to take on something from the White House? Don’t think it will happen.
Meanwhile, it’s funny to see all and any Commissioners sitting on the sidelines waiting, Ha, ha, ha….. Let’s just wait and see, maybe next year after her Mayor’s term, then something may happen
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:59 am
Bob Norman seems to have now tied Ritter directly into the Mutual Benefits scandal:
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2009/01/stacy_ritter_voted_for_company.php
I would be shocked if Obama gives her any position now.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Doesn’t Scott Brook live in this district? Coral Springs is ten times the size of Parkland, right?
FROM BUDDY: Absolutely right. Brook would be a leading contender if he wanted to be.
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:42 pm
Ritter is under investigation by the DOJ. News Flash, Buddy Nevins will be the last to find out.
FROM BUDDY: Who isn’t under investigation in Broward’s political world? That’s the real story.
January 27th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I don’t live in the district, and have no vested interest in any particular candidate, but agree with the commenter above that Scott Brook would be an excellent choice for the commission seat.