Win Or Lose, Sheriff Tony’s Reputation Is Toast
BY BUDDY NEVINS
My Mom used to say that a reputation takes a lifetime to build, but it can be destroyed in one minute.
It is a lesson that Broward Sheriff Greg Tony is learning every day.
Win or lose August’s Democratic primary, Tony’s reputation is in tatters.
Greg Tony
His reputation is being buried under dirt uncovered daily by dogged journalists. Each revelation is unbelievably sensational and each one damning.
Everything from taking LSD to nude swinger-like pictures to killing a neighbor when he was a teenager.
These are truths he tried so hard to hide.
Tony may be sheriff. But many believe he is a liar.
There is no doubt we have a sheriff who covered up his uncomfortable past. Who obfuscated. Who lied.
This is what Tony is dealing with as he runs for election.
“He’s toast,” one political consultant who is not involved in the race opined.
Tony has over $1 million in his campaign and associated political committees, the consultant was reminded.
“It won’t matter,” the consultant said.
Why?
Because the public already believes Tony is untruthful, the consultant said.
And who wants a sheriff who doesn’t tell the truth?
A handful of mayors, that’s who. Endorsing him last month were Broward Mayor Dale Holness and Mayors Michelle Gomez of Tamarac, Christine Hunschofsky of Parkland, Lori Lewellen of Dania Beach and Ana Ziade of North Lauderdale.
Their endorsements are an example why folks hate politics. They came after all the disclosures about Tony’s lack of honesty. Apparently that doesn’t matter to these mayors. Would these mayors overlook such deceit from one of their children?
Tony’s reputation will continue to erode. The news media is not going to stop.
Because Tony’s past is too good a story. This is what’s going through reporters’ minds: If he has hidden so much about his life, what else is there?
This is Broward County. Don’t be surprised if Tony still wins.
He may end up sheriff for another four years, but Tony has already lost what really counts — his reputation.
Some won’t believe anything Tony says in the future.
“A reputation once broken may possible be repaired, but the world will always keep their eyes on the spot where the crack was,” a wise man hundreds of years ago said.
Or as it warned in Luke: “Whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.”
June 1st, 2020 at 10:55 am
Sheriff Tony is abusing Internal Affairs Investigations to target his political enemies again. This past week he placed on suspension a very well respected BSO employee of 21 years Ron Thurston from a well respected African American Family in the community, a demographic Tony has lost the support of. Ron is an exceptional community leader. He coaches one of the powerhouse Little League football teams in Pompano Beach, he is a leader in the Pompano Beach Democratic Club, and frequently advocates for issues that affect the African American community in Pompano.
Tony has demonstrated he is a liar, disloyal, untrustworthy, anti-union, inexperienced, and not fit for the office.
This guy’s temperament and judgment are garbage.
FROM BUDDY:
The sheriff’s office contends Thurston was violating department rules on social media They say he was posting inflammatory messages concerning his opinions on the George Floyd murder and the weekend of protests.
June 1st, 2020 at 1:00 pm
Has the window to declare candidacy closed at SOE? Maybe some others will step in.
Otherwise it’s the lesser of two evils. And since when has endorsements from local electeds swayed tens of thousands of voters? Or an endorsement from sun-sentinel? Voters are learning elections have consequences.
FROM BUDDY:
Correct. I don’t think city officials sway even hundreds of votes. Maybe they can convince their own family. Maybe.
June 1st, 2020 at 1:14 pm
So we have 2 candidates that aren’t worthy of holding the office of Sheriff: Scott Israel and Gregory Tony. No matter who wins the race, Broward County is screwed. The media know all about destroying reputations, they’ve certainly destroyed their own.
FROM BUDDY:
There is a third candidate AL Pollack, who impresses many. Check him out: https://www.nbcmiami.com/on-air/as-seen-on/one-on-one-with-bso-sheriff-candidate-al-pollock/2233119/
June 1st, 2020 at 2:29 pm
Let’s talk facts.
Scott Israel who all BSO voted they had NO CONFIDENCE in him is the biggest liar and fake we have ever had in a Sheriff and is a Donald Trump Clone. Never wrong, never accepts responsibility for anything, degrades people who don’t agree with him, terrible temper, steals credit from what other have done and not him… (Browardbeat removed quite a bit from here that was about his family and included unproven and uncharged personal material. Prove it and perhaps we will print it.)… did everything he said he wouldn’t after getting elected to include hiring all of his political cronies, increasing the Command Staff to the biggest in BSO history, retaliated against over 50 BSO Employees, uses tax payer money like a slush fund increasing the budget by hundreds of millions of dollars, failed at the airport because he is incompetent and has no leadership or high risk incident management experience, most absentee Sheriff in history, failed the courthouse escape situation and blamed the County Commission the County Commission allocated him over $2 million dollars to increase Staffing at the courthouse, but he never did it and the funds were in the account for over a year before the escape, despicable pathing himself on the back about his amazing leadership handling MSD, which was horrific and a BSO disaster because of his decisions, which included hiring a female friend from Fort Lauderdale PD with no experience and immediately hired her as the Chief of Parkland, let’s not forget he gave his best friend and trickster Roger Stone a personalized BSO badge at Martarano’s at the Hard Rock for being a key player in his dirty campaigning with Ron Gunzberger, NO CONFIDENCE VOTE, moral the worst in history of BSO under Israel, LOST Accreditation
Status under his failed leadership and now he walks around trying to me a marter trying to sell everyone that he was a target of the NRA and that’s why Disantis removed him when he has never done anything to combat guns and the key is that he cry’s Broward Voters are being deprived of their votes. No, they voted for you and you personally failed every single one of them because you lied about your leadership and experience and they fell for it, but they won’t again in August. A vote for Scott Israel is a vote for Donald Trump.
June 1st, 2020 at 4:31 pm
Tony is garbage period.he is a total digrace and a liar and a fraud. He never should have attacked Ron Thurston
FROM BUDDY:
Nat Turner, who was executed 189 years ago for leading a slave rebellion, came back to read Browardbeat. I’m honored.
Seriously, I get the reference and get the point. Thanks for reading.
June 1st, 2020 at 5:13 pm
Sure sure, Nat’s a big thing…
How come the Sheriff hasn’t arrested Ike?
June 2nd, 2020 at 7:47 am
Clinton lied about sex, Bush lied about weapons, Obama lied about doctors, Runcie lied about the use of bond money. Their reputations are stained. Does it really matter? The bar has been lowered.
June 2nd, 2020 at 9:41 am
It is time to finally have a sheriff who has integrity, honesty, and ethics. We need a sheriff that will actually protect and serve the community and not be a political hack. We need Joe Goldner as the next Broward County Sheriff!
June 2nd, 2020 at 8:55 pm
all the stuff you write don’t mean nothing when we go to the polls it’s time for a black Sheriff in this. county test a black sure we dominate this County anyways. and what it’s going to piss a lot of people off and least 50 percent of the white people will vote for him. People are really studying away the Bible and God. I can’t even keep up with the count IC of white women good relationships with black men
June 2nd, 2020 at 10:08 pm
kevin Bolling, The mayor of Parkland should be ashamed, the MSD Group should reconsider the person chosen by them to make school safer. I believe the residents, visitors, and students are unsafe and in danger, under tony leadership. I’m guessing the democratic machine wants Israel out and believes tony has the greatest chance. Al Pollock 2020,
has 40 yrs of public services with BSO, he started as a Deputy and worked his way up the chain of command to Col. under Israel, first four years as his number two man. Isreal fired him when elected for the second time. When Col. Al Pollock was dismissed so Isreal could bring his FLPD buddies over to make top dollar at jobs they were not quilified for ie. the Parkland Captian on the day of the MSD.
June 2nd, 2020 at 10:51 pm
Al Pollack was the 3rd ranking official in the Israel Administration. He was in charge of the airport failure. Although he was not in Parkland on the tragic Valentine’s Day massacre at Douglas, it was deputies trained under his watchful eye that failed to act. He used his powerful position to allow a Dolphin accused of Domestic Violence to get out of jail free. He did move through the ranks. He leap frogged from Sergeant to Commander to Colonel. Rumored that he didn’t he take the required lieutenant exams etc. Endorsed by a union that never interviewed other candidates and is rumored to promote the union chief if elected. A union chief who condoned and vigorously defended the slamming of a teens head in the asphalt despite video showing excessive force. Yes Buddy. Pollack is definitely worth taking a look at.
June 3rd, 2020 at 8:48 am
Isreal is a bigger liar says: “A vote for Scott Israel is a vote for Donald Trump.”
Where do you get this “fact” from?
FROM BUDDY: I assume he means that thee governor appointed Israel’s replacement Greg Tony and the governor is a dedicated ally of Trump.
June 3rd, 2020 at 10:31 am
IF ‘city officials’ ‘can’t influence their own families’ votes’ DOESNT THAT SAY VOLUMES ABOUT THEIR LEADERSHIP SKILLS? Seriously, it’s raining. I get my cats to ‘vote’ to go inside.
June 3rd, 2020 at 4:08 pm
What happens to the million dollars in Toney’s campaign fund if he gets arrested or loses?
FROM BUDDY:
The bulk of the million-plus will be spent before Election Day on ads and other campaign functions.
Anything left over must under law be given back to contributors pro rata, donated to a 501 (c-3) non profit or to the political party the sheriff belongs to, in this case the Democratic Party. I believe there is a provision that the money be donated to local government. I might have missed something so check out Florida Statute 106.141.
In truth, most candidate give the money back or give it to charity.
Winning candidates also can use some of the money to run their offices.