Sheila Alu Gets Her Man: Lobbyist Klenet
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Sunrise City Commissioner Sheila Alu finally got her man last night.
Lobbyist Russ Klenet was fired after almost two decades representing Sunrise.
“I’m taking him down and I’m getting her, too, Alu vowed four years ago.
She was talking about Klenet and his wife, County Commissioner Stacy Ritter.
That’s an exact quote, circa 2007.
But Alu’s hate of Klenet had been boiling inside for years before.
His crime? Klenet was part of the old guard. He was part of former City Manager Pat Salarno crew.
The firing had nothing to do with scandal swirling around the couple on the Internet, although it created an atmosphere that made Klenet’s position shakier.
Despite endless bytes of bad publicity churned out about Klenet and wife Ritter, both are living quite well, thank you. They are drinking expensive wine. They are eating thick steaks. They wear designer threads.
Russ Klenet
Klenet and Ritter have never been charged with a crime.
No, this firing was pure political jockeying.
Alu decided long ago Klenet was bad for the city. He was too tied to the old power structure of Salarno and former Mayors Steve Effman and Steve Feren.
Alu believed that Salarno/Effman/Feren held her back. They blocked the changes she wanted for city hall. It took her a decade, but now every one of them is gone including Klenet.
Alu is persistent. And political.
Although she is a hero to some for her role as an informant for the FBI, never forget that Alu is a politician.
She just won the oldest game in politics: Overthrowing the king and kicking out his retinue.
Klenet is lucky it’s not the Middle Ages or last night the cry would have been: “Off With His Head!
Alu was right. Sunrise needed cleaning up. It was an inside club of inside deals run to benefit a small group of special interests.
Klenet was part of it.
In the end, Klenet made a fatal error. He donated $500 to former Mayor Roger Wishner’s March mayor’s race. Wishner ended up being beaten by now-Mayor Mike Ryan.
Klenet had been representing Sunrise in Tallahassee since the early 1990s. He will be replaced by Ron Book, a veteran lobbyist with stronger ties to the Republicans than Klenet, according to the Sun-Sentinel.
Last night, Klenet told me he helped Alu win her first campaign. He said he wrote some of her literature and answered the questionnaires from newspaper editorial boards.
If Klenet’s memory is accurate it is another example that Alu is just another politician. Because in politics, loyalty has always been as malleable as the next vote, the next deal, the next election.
January 19th, 2011 at 10:15 am
The jury is still out on Mike Ryan and Sheila Alu. Klenet was getting $50,000. You are right that this is all politics. They need to deal with our real problems like out of control employee pensions.
January 19th, 2011 at 10:22 am
Funny, Klenet and Alu are both cut from the same stench of the same skunk. They really deserve each other. They are both from the bottom of the same barrel. She got rid of an overrated lobbyist, and she is overrated as a public servant and human being, with such a phrase as human being being WAY too kind to describe, the giver of sole source contracts to county commissioner husbands with no applicable experience. she is deplorabe, 2 if not 3 faced and self serving to the umpteenth degree.
January 19th, 2011 at 10:52 am
frist Tamarac dumps Mitch Ceasar buy removing his lobbying job from the cbudget so the council doesnt have to vote,now this,let the games begin lol
January 19th, 2011 at 12:18 pm
But can you get a halfway decent Cab in Club Fed?
January 19th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Like long-time, insider lobbyist Ron Book is an improvement over Klenet… a little classier perhaps, but still politically entrenched.
January 19th, 2011 at 2:41 pm
Buddy,
You are right about the politics. If this was about integrity why would they pick the CONVICTED Ron Book over the accused Russ Klenet?
January 19th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Where to begin, oh Sheila, you are such a political whore in the biggest degree. You vow vengeance but try to act like the white knight of ethical behavior. You are just as bad, or worse than these people you “take down”. Typical behavior of you to befriend people then later stab them in the back and act as if you are pure as snow. It sickens me that you are such a selfish person. Lets hope that what goes around comes around very soon for you. Mike Ryan is the best thing that has happened to Sunrise and I have faith in his politics and ethics. Now Ms. Alu, give it a rest, we are tired of your ranting and raving.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:04 pm
Isn’t Klenet a close friend of Sam Fields, owner of Browardbeat? Isn’t that where this is all coming from?
FROM BUDDY: I could let Sam answer for himself and he may. However:
(1) I don’t believe Klenet and Fields are “close” friends.
(2) Fields is not the owner of Browardbeat.com, I am.
(3) I wrote the above piece without consulting with Sam Fields at all.
January 19th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Must agree with Buddy, Sam Fields can answer for himself and he probably will.
January 19th, 2011 at 8:21 pm
@knowledge, or should I say lack of knowledge, your insight into the Ceasar contract in Tamarac is flawed and your apparent thirst for public execution is distasteful. In spite of what everyones favorite pet house monkey is telling people about Ceasar and Tamarac, Ceasar’s contract wasn’t removed from the budget, it was allowed to expire and it wasn’t renewed. Instead of the public execution everyone wanted the Tamarac Commission accomplished the same thing in a civil way that didn’t require a nastly political thrash everyone seems so keen on around these parts. Imagine this, Ceaser held a political patronage position for forever in Tamarac and he was done away with quietly in a way which didn’t embarass anyone. Why isn’t anyone happy when politicians get it right?
January 19th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
Sheila is not only good for Sunrise she is an excellent prosecutor and a pleasure to work with.
January 19th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Love stone cold .and it is cause he says so ! I love your comments and completely agree with you and that patriot. I am hoping to hear from that activist as well. Shelia there are a lot of people who know what u are all about and thank god people really see it. We know you leak all the stories to buddy and norman amd yeah our owm little suz you girls must be talking again. because everyone knos you didnt t like the piece she did the day before election . I just can’t stand that all these stories make you look like such a do gooder. Are you really just a good doer ? Ron Book is the best choice like you have said and I’m sure the campaign contrubutions of 1500 didn’t hurt either.
January 20th, 2011 at 9:15 am
nosebleed 821pm.you are a true fool and clown.CEASAR was a political lobbyist in that town for 20 years,ceasars political career started in Tamarac he has been around for all factions,so all of a sudden Tamarac decides to cancell the contract.There has been a lot of issues in that city,if you believe after all those years ceasers contract was expired out of the blue and in a civil way in Tamarac,perhaps you should get some therapy? or be the clown in a three ring circus?
January 20th, 2011 at 11:53 am
wow, Steven @ 9:50 pm. I’m dissapointed to say the least, but i suppose if oyu want to run for judge again you need the support of sleaze bags like Alu. best of luck, i made the mistake of voting for you the first time around.
January 20th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
Knowledge@9:15 – your retort is typical of what we all have come to expect from these blogs. When the facts don’t support your position you resort to name calling because that’s all you’ve got. If Ceasar was dealt with so underhandidly in Tamarac then where was the press? Where was Buddy? Where was Bob Norman? Ceasar no longer represents Tamarac and his dismissal was handled without public spectacle. Everyone’s disappointed that no blood was spilled, I say well done Mayor Talabisco and Commissioners. Thanks for taking care of business on behalf of the taxpayers in a way that doesn’t embarrass us all. Again, the facts are with me and I’m no fool. As for you, well, good luck!
January 21st, 2011 at 1:45 pm
nosebleed frisst let me say the name calling and lack of facts are with you,you are silly frist you obviously have a complex about this poit,second the press has the right to do what they want to do it is freedom of the press.third mitch ceasar was let go after 20 years and they let his contract expire which is fine with me,fourth the city of Tamarac has not had the best reputation lately. fifth in a previous blog you said thatceasars contract expired will that would be up to the city manger,now you are saying Beth Talabisco had something to do with this,it never came up,yes the city is really watching the taxpayers dollars ask the state attorneys office,so i am no fool and good luck to you
January 26th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Who is John Fusaro running for Sunrise 2012?