Voters Break Democratic Stranglehold On County Commission
BY BUDDY NEVINS
He started his campaign late, a year and a half after his opponent. He had only one-sixth the money.
Still, Republican Chip LaMarca beat Broward Mayor Ken Keechl, Democrat.
The rest of you entrenched, tone-deaf Democratic county commissioners take heed. Your time is coming.
Keechl took the blame for everything voters hate about the county commission.
Voters hate the stench of corruption and inside dealing seeping out of the Government Center. They hate the broken promises, like not to raise taxes to pay for a new courthouse.
They hate commissioners’ coziness with the lobbyists, who raised an obscene $600,000 for Keechl while LaMarca had less than $100,000. They hate Keechl’s dirty campaign born of desperation when he saw he was losing.
LaMarca brings something new to the county commission. Something fresh and sadly lacking at the Government Center.
He’s a Republican.
LaMarca not part of the Democratic clubhouse that has controlled the commission for years. He brings new ideas and a new way of looking at government. He’s not one to just throw money at a problem.
He breaks the stranglehold that the Democrats have had on the county commission since Keechl beat Republican Jim Scott four years ago. And does anybody think the all-Democratic commission has done a good job?
Good luck Chip. Please, please, please rock the boat. Rock the boat real hard.
November 3rd, 2010 at 10:31 am
Thank heaven he did win, now we can get on with some good changes.
It was about time too.
Chip, I know you can be a good Man and do what has to be done.
Get busy, please and let’s clean up the mess.
Now, some of the others need to go as well.
Time will tell in 2012.
November 3rd, 2010 at 10:55 am
Hello!!!? Al Jones is a Republican. So, there wasn’t much of a strangehold.
Congrats to LaMarca!
FROM BUDDY: Al Jones was a member of the Al Jones Party. He switched to the Democrats shortly after being appointed to the commission.
He never ran and won a seat on the commission as a Republican.
November 3rd, 2010 at 11:42 am
And the reality is there could be one or two more R County Commissioners (appointed) by 2012. If I were to bet, I’d say Clarence McKee or Vince Boccard are a county commissioner really soon.
November 3rd, 2010 at 8:27 pm
I am happy to welcome Ken to the ‘You Got To Be Out To Be In’ club — former county commissioners.
November 4th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Chip is an outsider now. Give him 2 months and he will be an insider and the media will rip him just like everyone else in government. Watch.