Politics as Blood Sport

Need to oust a school superintendent or get your favorite Democratic candidate elected? Just call Andre Fladell. But don't ever cross him.

A A A Comments By Harris Meyer Thursday, Dec 16 1999

...continued from page 6

A few minutes later, Tito calls back. When he's asked questions about his relationship with Fladell, Tito's replies are brief and guarded. As Tito hangs up, Fladell is beaming. "Tito trusts me," he declares. But he admits that he chose not to use his political clout to fight for fairer police treatment of the gang members, because it would have alienated his police buddies. "I can't," he says, looking pained. "I protect these kids as best as I can. But it's not where I'm going to declare my war. I've got a constituent base I need to maintain."

So has the idealistic '60s radical been co-opted by the establishment? "What is co-opted?" he sputters. "What does that mean? I try to be a social conscience. I want to show you something."

Melissa Jones

Fladell is tight with Republican county commissioner Mary McCarty (right), while he's gunning to unseat commission chair Maude Ford Lee, whom he considers racist

More About

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

He jumps up on his desk barefoot, reaches into his shorts pocket, and pulls out a thick wad of $100 bills, along with a crumpled slip of paper. The slip is a $100,000 dividend check from Microsoft. "They write me checks, and it don't mean nothin'," he says. "I have millions of dollars, so no one can hurt me. There's nothing they can do to shut me up."

Contact Harris Meyer at his e-mail address: Harris_Meyer@newtimesbpb.com