Screenwriter Brings Hollywood Glam To Campaign
BY BUDDY NEVINS
If Chad Klitzman loses his race for Broward Supervisor of Elections, he can just write a new ending.
Klitzman is a screen writer. Netflix is currently streaming his film “Candy Jar” starring his sister, stage name Sami Gayle.
He is the only accomplished screen writer I remember ever running for office in Broward.
And accomplished is the operative word for 25-year-old Klitzman’s resume to date.
First, a scholastic star at Cypress Bay High School, where he was the Student Ambassador to the Broward League of Cities.
Then the University of Pennsylvania for a degree in political science. Then to Columbia Law School. Meanwhile, an internship in the legal department of Jet Blue. A leave of absence to work in the Office of Management and Administration during Obama Administration in Washington.
Then following his father, Weston lawyer Larry Klitzman, into the legal profession, working for a firm that did big voters rights cases.
Oh, and he’s a member of the LGBTQ community, which won’t hurt in a Democratic primary.
But his passion is writing. He continues to write daily to relax.
Screen writing is what is going to get him more attention than the average Broward candidate.
Sister Sami Gayle (birth name Samantha Gail Klitzman) landed in show business earlier. Much earlier.
She was on Broadway at 11 and on the TV show “Blue Bloods” playing Nicky Reagan for a decade. Plus a handful of movies with a handful of well-known stars like Zoey Deutch.
Gayle didn’t even know that her brother was interested in following her.
“I didn’t know Chad could write. He kinda kept that a secret from myself and my family. He was studying political science at the University of Pennsylvania and one morning…he dropped a script on my bed,” Gayle recalled in a promotional appearance for “Candy Jar”.
That script thrown on the bed wasn’t “Candy Jar.” That followed a few years later and is loosely based on Klitzman and his sister’s experience as a competitive debaters.
The Hollywood — California and not Florida — connection will bring some glam to the race. If voters are lucky, his sister and maybe some of their show business friends could end up campaigning.
Still, it won’t be easy.
One candidate already in the race for Supervisor is Ruth Carter-Lynch, well known in the black community. That’s a demographic vital in a Broward Democratic primary.
Another candidate is former Democratic Party leader Mitch Ceasar, who has 40 years of grass roots knowledge in Broward. You could get a hernia carrying a list of his political contacts.
Also running is Timothy Lonergan, a two-term Oakland Park commissioner, plus Bamon Joevahn Scott and Carla Spalding.
Klitzman in his candidacy announcement news release played up his status as a member of a new generation:
“Broward voters are ready – and have been ready – for some new leaders.
“The elections office needs a Supervisor with both a fresh perspective to modernize the office and the integrity to do the job impartially as a way to rebuild trust in the community and keep our election systems and networks secure. It also needs someone who just loves elections and who will work tirelessly to ensure they run smoothly. The right to vote is one of the most fundamental rights we have, and I will do everything in my power to protect it.”
Klitzman’s life has been charmed to this point. After growing up in an upscale, waterfront home in Weston, he went to top universities, landed at a high powered law firm after graduation. And he wrote a screen play that ended up on Netflix.
Wow!
Campaigns are different. There is little glamour in shaking hands outside a grimy polling place in the drippy heat of a Florida August.
Broward campaigns are more akin to a street fight than a debate.
The magic carpet that Klitzman has been riding on until now won’t protect him from the onslaught of attacks heading his ways in a field of six Democrats.
Is young Klitzman tough enough?
“Hollywood is really a dirty business,” Klitzman answers.
Will voters trust him to run the Elections Office?
“My age is actually an asset,” he says, explaining that someone from his generation best understands the latest, modern practices to insure successful elections in the 21st Century.
Who better to bring the Broward Elections Office into the future than a child of that future, he says.
We shall see.
We shall see if Klitzman has what it takes.
Or whether his candidacy like a movie just fades to black.
November 6th, 2019 at 3:04 pm
It is a welcome change to see bright young people seeking public office in Broward County.
It’s time for the retreads to retire and spend their time looking for the best early-birds.
November 6th, 2019 at 7:13 pm
Bacon…I am voting for Bacon. Who wouldn’t vote for bacon?
FROM BUDDY:
Sorry. The name is Bamon, not Bacon. It was a typo and thanks for pointing it out.
November 7th, 2019 at 6:28 am
As a registered Democrat I’m sick of the Democrats and their identity politics. Why does every candidate have to emphasize that aspect of their candidacy, like in this case his connections to the LGBTQ community?Will a LGBTQ person be a better Supervisor. No
November 7th, 2019 at 3:48 pm
There is not one person in that list who has real administrative experience. We need an appointed supervisor.
November 7th, 2019 at 5:05 pm
@3
I self-identify as an asshole, and that got me on Colbert and The Daily Show.
November 8th, 2019 at 12:46 am
Old Timer has it right: Klitzman is definitely the best candidate here.
November 11th, 2019 at 8:11 pm
Timothy has my vote. He can think logically, he communicates well with people, and he answers questions honestly.