Pine Crest Connection Helps LaMarca’s Broward Commission Race
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Broward County Commission candidate Chip LaMarca is fighting the uphill battle that Republicans always face in the Democratic Republic of Broward.
But he has got a new face in local politics teaching him how to win: Pine Crest School politics and government teacher Phil Consuegra.
A key volunteer in the LaMarca campaign, Consuegra brings some national political experience to the race for the county commission seat in northeast Broward.
This 20-Something teacher is no newcomer to politics.
“I have been working for Republican candidates, both as a volunteer and a paid staffer – Bob Dole in 1996, George W. Bush in 2004, Republican candidates in Georgia in 2006, and Rudy Giuliani in 2007-2008 in Broward, Consuegra e-mailed.
Now Consuegra is campaigning for LaMarca.
LaMarca is running against Broward Mayor Ken Keechl.
Earlier this year, Keechl looked like a shoe-in.
Then Keechl flip flopped and voted for a $328-plus million dollar new courthouse. A half cent of sales tax will be going to build it.
Then the county commission backed a property tax rate hike.
Then there is Keechl’s questionable campaign expenses, including paying rent to himself for an election headquarters and treating himself to lavish dinners with wine.
LaMarca has now got an issue Keechl’s wasteful spending.
And he has got Consuegra to spread his message. LaMarca can only hope the campaign turns out better than Consuegra’s last big one Giuliani for President.
Consuegra got the Giuliani Broward job through his Young Republican contacts at Villanova University, where he went to college. He came to Broward and never left.
He met LaMarca, then the Republican chairman of Broward. He became active and is now president of the Lauderdale Beach Republican Club.
Consuegra hooked the job at Pine Crest, where he soon will be starting his third year teaching college-level government and politics.
There is a reason parents send their kids to Pine Crest. Look at the list of bipartisan guest speakers that Consuegra has had in class the past two years:
Ron Klein, Marco Rubio, Stacy Ritter, Ellyn Bogdanoff, Al Lamberti, Jack Seiler… and, yes, even Ken Keechl.
Many of the students get involved in politics and work on local campaigns. “Pine Crest teaches the importance of civic engagement at a very young age, and it’s refreshing to see, Consuegra e-mailed.
There is no pressure for students to work on LaMarca’s campaign and Consuegra points out that his own campaign work is strictly on his own time.
Doing political work for Republicans in the Democratic Republic of Broward doesn’t discourage him.
“I come from Fulton County, GA, which is roughly the same political demographic as Broward, he e-mailed me. “It’s a challenge to be a GOPer in this county, but what’s fun about it is that you’re in the minority – which as a very special purpose in government. As the minority, you get the dubious privilege of “checking” the majority – which is why a 9-0 commission is just so dangerous. Being in the minority gives us a great opportunity.
Now if LaMarca can only get several thousand more voters as enthusiastic as Consuegra, he will be our next county commissioner.
June 28th, 2010 at 6:04 pm
Republicans like Chip Lamarca who sat through George W. Bush’s disaster and supported him deserve to lose. Mayor Keechl is not Republican. That makes him eligible for my vote.
June 28th, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Read for yourselves: http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2010/06/rothstein_rosenfeldt_adler_letter.php
​All the most vile white-collar scoundrels hide behind law firms with no compunction about using the courts to bully good people into shutting their mouths.
​Ponzi schemer Joel Steinger, a felon whose Mutual Benefits stole $837 million from investors (almost twice as much money as Scott Rothstein’s scam), ran to several supposedly reputable lawyers in town while he was committing his massive crime. Steinger, using his stolen money, hired attorney Michael McNerney and partner Ken Keechl to attack anyone who had the audacity to tell the world that he was ripping off people. McNerney and Keechl filed a ridiculous lawsuit on a consumer advocate and used the nastiest of tactics on truly innocent victims, many of them elderly, who sued Steinger for their money back. McNerney is now awaiting trial on federal fraud charges; Keechl is mayor of Broward County.
The really scary part is that judges and the justice system were proven to be truly blind — not to color but to the truth. Keechl and McNerney were largely successful at staving off justice by using the court as a weapon against those who had been wronged. Skilled and unscrupulous lawyers can do that, and a sense of right and wrong in a courtroom can vanish just as quickly as that Ponzi money did.
June 29th, 2010 at 5:00 am
Chip is a good guy, but he is going to be dragged down by having to appeal to the far right wing ot the GOP.
June 29th, 2010 at 5:34 am
I would have backed Chip had he not told Bob Norman that he was consulting with Judy Stern about this race. After trying to soil the good reputation of Al Lamberti by running turncoat Israel. She now has her former BREC member turncoat daughter Barbara Stern running as a Democrat for the only Republican House seat in Broward. It appears Judy Stern put up a phoney Tea Party candidate to dilute the Republican vote.
So in light of the above Chip consults with Judy Stern about his Commission race?
It is sad how personal ambition seems to always trump party loyalty.
http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2010/04/judy_stern_the_world_is_hers_a.php
June 29th, 2010 at 4:48 pm
Chip was at Northeast High with me in the 80’s. Just one degree out of the cliquish center, a little bullying for cred, nothing big. He’ll be ok.
June 29th, 2010 at 5:04 pm
FYI: I am not consulting with Judy Stern. I am using the above listed person as my volunteer campaign consultant. He is a friend an a capable political strategist.
No paid consultants on this one folks!
June 29th, 2010 at 5:08 pm
PS: If you still want to support our campaign to take back Commission District 4, please visit us at http://www.electchip.com and lend a hand by pressing the “contribute now” button.