Who’s Really Behind Negative Ads In Ft. Lauderdale?
BY BUDDY NEVINS
The recent wave of negative mailers against candidate Jackie Scott are sadly routine for a Fort Lauderdale commission race.
It is a city where there is a lot of money at stake for developers and others. The winner will be one of five votes deciding where lucrative projects are developed.
These pieces indicate that somebody takes Scott seriously. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are polls that indicate she is ahead.
I always believed Scott was a formidable candidate. She has an extensive network of contacts in community groups build up over years of civic activism.
Of course, incumbent Romney Rogers is a lifelong resident and has a Rolodex full of friends in his Southwest Fort Lauderdale district, too.
Rogers has a record to attack. Scott only has stuff that could be dug up from her private life – her poker playing and her work for a controversial developer.
The attacks used against Scott are relatively mild. I’ve seen much, much worse over the years in Fort Lauderdale and other places.
I have two theories about the attack mail targeting Scott:
(1) Rogers’ supporters were behind the smear. This is the obvious assumption and its being eagerly promoted by Scott supporters.
(2) Scott supporters were behind the piece in a bit of misdirection to smear Romney. They were attempting to sway voters into believing that Romney was horrible because he used a smear campaign against Scott. Before you dismiss this, I’ve also seen this done before.
You decide.
I surely don’t know the truth. The only thing I do know is that this race gotten unnecessarily nasty. Fort Lauderdale deserves better.
*****
Who was behind the strange poll that asked Fort Lauderdale voters whether they prefer state Rep. George Moraitis or former County commissioner Ken Keechl in an election? Those two aren’t running against each other.
I’ve got my theories. But on this one, I’ll keep them to myself for now.
March 9th, 2012 at 1:19 pm
I saw this posted on Tim Smith’s blog it sure appears where there is a Mark Herron ECO, Stern is involved.
http://blog.timsmith.com/2012/03/08/romney-super-pac-trashes-jackie-scott.aspx#Comment
Dot Connector wrote:
Tim, its not fat cat lobbyists, its just one fat lobbyist named Judy Stern, lets take a walk down memory lane.
2008 Judy pal and Ken Jenne flunkie Todd Wilder ran an ECO for Scott Isreal named Common Sense Coalition in 2008 (guess they dropped the “coalition” for Romney lol). In 2009 it did pro Bruce Roberts pieces. Check the expenditures you will see payments to Judy stern and contributions from the FOP. Registered agent Mark Herron.
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/cgi-bin/TreSel.exe“>http://election.dos.state.fl.us/cgi-bin/TreSel.exe
Common Sense Coalition also paid expendatures to Liberty and Justice for All ECO
As you see in the expendatures in this link Judy Stern was paid by “Liberty and Justice for All” Who ran the ECO, Mark Herron
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/cgi-bin/TreSel.exe“>http://election.dos.state.fl.us/cgi-bin/TreSel.exe
Next ECO run by Mr Herron is Citizens for a Strong Judiciary.
http://election.dos.state.fl.us/committees/ComDetail.asp?account=54539
Yet as reported below, Citizens for a Strong Judiciary was the brainchild of….Judy Stern
http://www.browardbeat.com/committee-ready-to-support-incumbent-judges/
Common Sense is run by…Mark Heron, but come one is it hard to imagine who is behind it?
So Lee Feldman how is it again Ms. Stern is not required to register as a lobbyist in the City of Fort Lauderdale?
Romney have you not read your Bible, its never good to make deals with the Devil.
March 9th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
THIS WILL BE VERY INTERESTING!!!
Two South Florida districts singled out in redistricting opinion
Two South Florida districts held by two Fort Lauderdale area senators, Democrat Chris Smith and Republican Ellyn Bogdanoff were singled out by the Florida Supreme Court as unconstitutional when it struck down the Senate redistricting plan this morning.
One newly proposed district, Senate District 34 (currently SD 29 held by Smith) starts in Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County and goes southward in a narrow strip to Fort Lauderdale. At its most narrow point, the district is a tenth of a mile wide. The court writes that the district follows a path that often clumps together districts on one side of a residential street, but not the other.
The other proposed district, SD 29 (currently SD 25 held by Bogdanoff) is a long and extremely narrow district that goes down the coast, starting in Jupiter. It travels south in a narrow sliver scooping up parts of Lake Worth, Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Pompano Beach and Fort Lauderdale.
The major issue, the court said, is that the two districts are “clearly not compact.”
But they are also drawn to favor a Republican, the court ruled, in this case Bogdanoff.
The court wrote that in the drawing of the districts, it moved Democrats out of SD 29 to SD 34 under the guise of protecting minority voting districts. But in the process, it made SD 29 safer for an incumbent.
“We conclude that the Senate‘s decision to draw this region in a less compact manner is indicative of intent to favor an incumbent and a political party by keeping District 29 essentially the same as its predecessor district,” the court wrote.
March 9th, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Buddy, these same kinds of mailers showed up three years ago when Coleman Prewitt ran against Romney. So I guess if theory 2 is true, then Jackie must have sent out those attacks as well.
Where does this ridiculous web of lies and intrigue end?
The simplest explanation is the best in this case. Romney’s cronies paid for a series of attacks against his opponent, and this time it blew up in their face.
March 9th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
Judy Stern is the answer.
March 12th, 2012 at 2:41 pm
Judy definitely has her hands in the Common Sense Coalition. She used Common Sense in 2008 when running Scott Israel’s campaign.
Now the Feds are looking to clawback the $190,000.00 Scott Israel received through the Common Sense Coalition.
Scott took the money directly from Scott Rothstein and Ken Jenne was right in the mix of it. Ken Jenne is hooked up with Todd Wildler, who worked with him at the BSO. They are all tied in to Mark Herron who also has Liberty and Justice for All. Judy Stern was paid by that ECO.
It’s all coming apart again. Ken Jenne right in the mix of dirty deals, Scott Israel sneaky as they come, Judy Stern getting dragged in by Israel and all taking victim money from Scott Rothstein.
Ken Jenne should stay away from everyone over the next couple months, espeially Scott Israel. I know he is smart enough to know his aligning with Scott Israel and Ron Caccictore is already hurting Evan and I like Evan Jenne. The word is out that Israel promosed Ken Jenne a lobbying job.
March 12th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
So everyone else gets to eat, except Judy Stern-please- Some of you are sooo smitten by her-its just so obvious. All these cheap-shots but when Judy throws it right back-she’s a bitch and i’m dangerous. Please…..
March 12th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
Robert
Have you seen Judy, hard to miss, Judy is a BIG woman. If there is one thing that cant be said about Judy is that she was ever denied an opportunity to eat.
March 12th, 2012 at 8:27 pm
all the fort lauderdale candidates paid judy stern for services – just look at the campaign reports
March 13th, 2012 at 10:48 am
Here is the link to the reports.
Stern was only used by Roberts and Rodstrom.
http://ci.ftlaud.fl.us/clerk/election.htm
March 13th, 2012 at 5:01 pm
To “To Easy says” all less fails go w/ th e name calling. Judy Stern speaking of eating could eat you for breakfast, lunch, dinner. Mrs.Stern is a good woman, raised her children beautifully, and is a solid person ,who I trust. By the way I saw a photo of her from Long Island i believe in a convertiable, and let me tell you she turned heads all day long. When they stop talking about you Mrs.stern, then we will worry. Like her, respect her, would hire her in a New York minute-yes she’s that good…..
March 13th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Jesus, Walsh. Why don’t you lick Judy Stern’s butt. Dude, for a gay man you are a disgrace. Back to jail for you.
March 14th, 2012 at 8:02 am
Good for you Robert you two make a great couple.