Stacy Ritter’s Kickoff Draws Huge Crowd
BY BUDDY NEVINS
Broward County Commissioner Stacy Ritter proved Sunday that the best revenge is success.
Around 700 crowed into a King’s Point Condominium theater for Ritter’s re-election kickoff.
For a while, it didn’t look like she would run again. The past few years she has been savaged on the Internet and in some Main Street media. She was called corrupt.
Ritter appeared to be dead politically. Buried.
But appearances can be deceiving. Ritter had no intention of being chased off the stage…by anybody but the voters.
And many voters apparently still like her based on the numbers at her kickoff.
Elected officials showed their support for Ritter, too.
Sheriff Al Lamberti was there. That the chief law enforcement officer of Broward attended a re-election event for Ritter says volumes about the validity of any corruption allegations against her.
(As an aside, the Republican Lamberti got the loudest applause and a few cheers when introduced. This is notable since the event was sponsored by the King’s Point Democratic Club.)
Among others attending were School Board member Robin Bartleman, Clerk of the Courts Howard Forman, state Sen. Jeremy Ring, state Reps. Franklin Sands and Jim Waldman, Tamarac Commissioners Harry Dressler and Diane Glasser, Parkland Commissioner Jared Moskowitz and Coral Springs Mayor Roy Gold.
My favorite political moment of the night: A dapper 72-year-old Sands grabbing his wife Leslie and jitterbugging to the 1940s-era swing music that warmed up the crowd. The mood apparently just seized him. No one else was dancing. No one but me seemed to be paying attention as they swayed while others walked by.
Political Laughs
Ritter’s kickoff Sunday night was unusual. Political claptrap replaced by comedy.
New York comic Stewie Stone spritzed his shtick.
Comic Stewie Stone
It started right after he was introduced by Ritter.
“You are a wonderful advocate for the people and the best ass in politics,” Stone quipped as Ritter walked off in four-inch stiletto heels.
The audience roared. Ritter appeared to blush.
“There are so many people here,” Stone continued. “It only shows that if you give Jews free coffee and cake…”
Laugher cut off his punch line.
He kibitzed with the audience.
“Where did you meet?” Stone asked one couple in the front row.
“Aventura,” said the wife.
“Oh, that was when you had money,” Stone fired back.
The King’s Point crowd loved it. They laughed through Stone’s 30-minute R-rated set and left the clubhouse smiling. Not bad for a political rally.
Controversy
Ritter has been controversial the past four years.
She kickstarted the new courthouse and the airport expansion, two vital projects stalled for over a decade. But the media was mostly interested in other things.
Although not charged with anything or named as a co-conspirator anywhere, Ritter was savaged in the media. She was “tied” to this shady deal and “connected” to that shady individual.
I know the media game of loaded words, headlines and pictures. I played it very well for decades. I know how the media can play with somebody like a cat toys with a mouse.
The mouse has no recourse. Ritter does. She can win again.
She only has a minor Republican opponent. And if her re-election kickoff is representative of how well she is liked in northwest Broward, Ritter well on her way to another term.
March 26th, 2012 at 11:44 am
Lamberti was buddy buddy with Scotty Rothstein up until moments before he fled the country with $16 million in his duffel bags. If I remember right, Lamberti’s 2nd or 3rd in comment even drove Rothstein to the private airfield when he left for Moracco.
So tell me again what Lamberti being at Ritter’s event speaks volumes about in terms of the corruption allegations against her?
Lamberti hasn’t been that good a judge of character in the past.
March 26th, 2012 at 12:07 pm
Bob Sutton had his own kickoff party attended by his wife and no one else at wings plus and the wings were awsome.
March 26th, 2012 at 2:45 pm
The media is there to keep everything true and honest. But when reporters don’t live up to that responsibility then lies become king and truth is no more. That form of media is more corrupt than anything they could write about. It has gone overboard, journalism is nearly dead, the decline in standards is heartbreaking to see. When journalism dies the end of democracy can’t be far behind. We’re a heartbeat away from another propaganda charged era like they had in 1930’s Europe. It has gotten that bad.
March 26th, 2012 at 3:24 pm
Ms. Ritter shouldn’t get too excited. 700 old fogies out for freebies don’t mean much.
FROM BUDDY: It means 700 votes.
March 26th, 2012 at 3:51 pm
Hey Buddy, you sounds more and more like a Republican cheerleader. Lamberti had no business attending the event and abused his position to get in. It was a Democratic Club Meeting and is an ethics violation. He needed to get in because he is no longer permitted to abuse his autrhority and attend the meetings. He should have never been introduced at all. The applause we merely as every othe relected received that was announced. He certainly did not get the biggest applause because Stacey did. People at the event were very upset he was even attending. The announcer must have made a bad mistake even introducing his name in a Dem Club.
March 26th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
Having Lamberti there is not saying much. Everyone hits the condos. They’ll come out for anything!!!
FROM BUDDY:
I’ve seen Democratic candidate for governor get a crowd less than a third as big. And that candidate was handing out bagels and coffee.
March 26th, 2012 at 5:27 pm
Hmmm…giving free food away for votes? Didn’t that bury Irv Slosberg in his Senate race? He had to go back to the House, but won without the free food. I guess the voters get dumber and dumber as they get more local.
March 27th, 2012 at 8:44 am
90% of the 700 attendees have plans on cashing in on corrupted style of government she embraces.
March 27th, 2012 at 9:27 am
I wonder what a poll would show?Sounds to me like a show used to scare off opponents.If she were so popular, why bring in the clowns?Diane Glasser? The Sheriff? Sponsored by the democratic club( Diane Glasser)same thing.Jeremy Ring? That’s endorsements. You should of brought back Keechl as well. Nah, she’s gonna get a democratic opponent.Her negatives are very high and cannot be overcome. She’s out.
March 27th, 2012 at 2:57 pm
Agreed – she will get a Democratic opponent – probably Evan Jenne, who is now in the same race as Tim Ryan, but could easily switch districts to take on Ritter instead.
March 27th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
@Woody72. Is that your age or the last time you had one?