Political World Awaits Candidates To Replace Chief Prosecutor Mike Satz
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Where are all the candidates?
It’s been a month since Broward State Attorney Mike Satz announced he wasn’t running and the heavy-hitters have yet to surface.
Although it is 13 months before the Democratic primary, it is almost certain that Satz’s actual replacement is not running yet.
Satz’s successor needs to be:
* A manager with experience in running an office. The State Attorney’s Office has a multi-million dollar budget and hundreds of independent-minded lawyers.
*A reformer who will reshape the prosecutor’s office, emphasizing rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Who will step up?
The political world is awaiting two candidates — Coconut Creek Commissioner and criminal defense lawyer Josh Rydell and prosecutor Sarahnell Murphy.
Lawyer Teresa Williams, who has a general law practice and almost won in 2016, is also expected to run.
One of Rydell’s supporters already jumped the gun on social media. County Commissioner Mark Bogen wrote this last week:
Rydell is currently one of Tom Lynch’s key campaign advisers in the former judge’s race for Public Defender. That is not expected to change.
No doubt there may be more candidates. It is not often that a chief’s prosecutor’s job is open.
After all, Satz held the post for 44 years.
July 2nd, 2019 at 9:48 am
Where is Jack Seiler.I think he would be a great candidate.He has a very busy law firm,no sweat u bring your daughter in.She can run the show and run things from a distance.Seiler stated last month that he was giving it some thought.He went on to say he was going to go over a potential canidacy after he spoke with his family.Well Jack??.
July 2nd, 2019 at 2:30 pm
I read on Jaablog that Judy Stern is running the Murphy campaign. http://www.jaablaw.com/uncategorized/monday-notes-8/
No thanks. Stern is to vindictive to have that much say at SAO. Stern is a lobbyist and friends with developers like Alan Hooper who hopefully the next State Attorney will look into due their questionable dealings at the DDA.
https://www.floridabulldog.org/2019/03/officials-invested-18m-property-wave-streetcar/
July 2nd, 2019 at 5:19 pm
Anyone would be better than Satz’.
July 2nd, 2019 at 6:53 pm
Such a disappointment Buddy Nevins. As a fellow who purports to be a “journalist,” you didn’t properly do your homework. Maybe a journalist CLE could help? Do you not talk to the community? Do you not have access to the internet and the department of elections?
July 2nd, 2019 at 7:34 pm
Sarahnell Murphy has the chops, the experience and the name to win. She should be the next SA.
July 3rd, 2019 at 2:15 am
Where are the Republicans?
July 3rd, 2019 at 7:28 am
Satz was a top prosecutor in the 1970s so that is the kind of experience we need.
Only Sarahnell Murphy has that experience.
July 3rd, 2019 at 7:31 am
Murphy is Satz’s chosen candidate which is enough to vote against her.
July 3rd, 2019 at 7:56 am
Madam Murphy has been running the State Attornys County Court aka petty crimes court. She has directly led to and furthered the plight of this county prosecuting small time offenders. She is not what this county needs.
If she has been a long time prosecutor there is NO WAY we want her. The current State ATTORNEY’S office is the most over aggressive to defendants and feared place to work for young people. We need new blood and we need new people. When I google Her name I see nothing but over aggressive prosecutions which ruin people lives. Curious to meet the other people running, I will NEVER vote for a employee in any capacity of the current administration that has ruined so many lives and generates more records for our youth than both Dade and Palm Beach combined
July 3rd, 2019 at 8:03 am
I would love to see Josh Rydell in that position, he has an amazing reputation in the courthouse and truly understands criminal justice. I recently saw him speak and had no idea he was an elected official until seeing this article. He came to an event celebrating the move forward and priory of substance abuse treatment in this county. His name is actually on BARCs new facility as a member of its board. Our county needs to move forward regarding criminal justice, not back. It’s a shame this article doesn’t mention Other actual files candidates in the race.
July 3rd, 2019 at 8:38 am
A vote for Sarahnell means another 40 years of Satz. We need a Progressive state attorney that doesn’t lock up people for the rest of their lives for insignificant crimes. We need properly paid and trained ASA’s who have authority to break down nonviolent charges. We need new division heads with progressive ideas who don’t think everyone should spend the rest of their lives in prison. No more double dipping department heads! No more Satz means a better Broward county!!
FROM BUDDY:
The SOA has a lot of influence on sentences, but judges have final say. Judges are the ones who “lock up people for the rest of their lives.”
July 3rd, 2019 at 10:31 am
Sarahnell Murphy may be the favorite of the courthouse crowd, but their influence is zero as soon as you get one block away from the courthouse. She is a total political unknown to voters, Satz hasn’t run a real campaign in years and has no “machine” to hand over to Murphy, there really is no “frontrunner” in the race. If electing the most experienced/qualified person mattered, then Miriam Oliphant, Scott Israel, Brenda Snipes, Brenda Forman, Bob Lockwood and others would never have won their elections.
July 3rd, 2019 at 11:13 am
Murphy’s husband Rich Merlino claims she is a life long Democrat. Interesting since Merlino is a donor to a DeSantis and loves to post anti liberal, pro trump stuff on Facebook. Murphy has her voter information exempt due to being an ASA. She needs to remove this block so we can know for sure if she has been a life long democrat or is like her husband and just recently changed parties to run for her SA.
July 4th, 2019 at 1:47 pm
watch out for shiela alou, the pity is the best person is now a judge and he would have made a great state attorney, I doubt very much that judge holden would run, a pity for the rest of us.
July 5th, 2019 at 8:43 am
Hi Buddy – just wanted to chime in on your response to number 11. I am a primarily a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor with 25 years under my belt. Judges decide the defendants sentence in a very small amount of cases in state court. 99% of the time the defendant pleads to the offer made by the state. The problem with minimum mandatories is that only the state can waive them. The excessive sentencing imposed in this county is the direct result of the policies of Mike Satz. It is not the judiciary.
July 5th, 2019 at 4:47 pm
No. 15:
Both you and Buddy are right. The judge could refuse a plea bargain and it is the judge who locks up any criminal. You are also right that most of the sentences are decided by the prosecutors ahead of time.
A few crusading judges could end the excessive sentencing regardless of what Satz does. Broward doesn’t even have one
July 10th, 2019 at 12:06 pm
Is there anyone at SAO more experienced and a better trial advocate than Tony Loe. If he can win the biggest trial of his life and keep Little Tony in prison for the Gus Boulis Dun Cruz murder, he could eadily be the next SA. If he felt like running.