In a tearful farewell yesterday for outgoing Broward Mayor Ken Keechl, Stacy Ritter spoke of how she, Keechl, and fellow Commissioner Ilene Lieberman were the “three queens” of the Broward County Commission. UPDATED: Here’s the full text of what Ritter said in her emotional speech to Keechl at yesterday’s County Commission meeting, the mayor’s…
The Broward County School Board has a bad case of emeritus. You might think that after the stink caused by the Broward County School Board’s plan to give outgoing Ed Marko a $266,000 salary to serve as general counsel emeritus (for the unwashed that’s pronounced ih-MEH-ri-tus, not really like a disease) after…
I hate to say it, but James Stokes — the new School Board attorney who quit this morning before he even started — probably made a good decision. Who would want to jump into the dysfunctional soup that is the Broward County School Board? It’s a little surprising that he…
Animal-rights activists have long decried circuses as one of the most blatant and correctable violators of animal rights. (Stampeding and screaming elephants have long agreed.) And the Cole Bros. Circus, which was in Boca Raton this weekend and will travel around South Florida for the next month, is one…
The pavers don’t compare to the bronze plaque of Norman “Da Boss” Abramowitz’s likeness. We now know that the former Tamarac mayor and Broward County commissioner was the guy who made many key introductions for the Chaits. Hey, at least they hadn’t put up honors for also-charged Patte Atkins-Grad or under-investigation Tamarac Mayor Beth Talabisco yet. Here’s…
Let’s start with some fun. Last night’s Heat game against the New Jersey Nets provided a real glimpse of the kind of high-flying show this team is going to be. Dunks galore. But none was better than the one above. While the Nets watch helplessly, the towel boy can’t repress his inner awe. I’ve…
Mitch Ceasar’s political palace is falling apart. The Democratic chairman lost big on Election Day. Broward laid down for the Republican push on Tuesday, with voter turnout in the supposed Democratic powerhouse county a meager 40 percent — eight points under the state average. This comes as no surprise since the local party is…
Yes, a wave of anti-Obama, pro-Tea Party sentiment swept the country Tuesday. But even considering the national trend, Florida Dems took a beating that can’t simply be blamed on the miserable economy or a knee-jerk desire for change.Going into Election Day, there were 592,000 more registered Democrats in the state…
— Ken Keechl, the outgoing Broward mayor, is getting some love on Facebook. Hey, it was good while it lasted. — Speaking of former elected officials, Stephanie Kraft continues to lurk. She was spotted at the election victory party in Coral Springs for several politicians including Ari Porth, new judge John…
Joe Angelo lost his race for the mayorship of Wilton Manors on Tuesday against incumbent Gary Reznick. His loss was due, at least in part, to a series of editorials in the Island City News by publisher Steve Kelley. The articles claimed Angelo was able to “elude prosecution” after a…
While most of the state saw red on Tuesday, voting in favor of developers and a millionaire governor, Riviera Beach won a victory for the people.Voters approved a referendum blocking a plan to lease a portion of the city’s public marina to a private boat company, Rybovich. The marina battle…
On Tuesday, Rick Scott, the guy who sent his mom to replace him in a debate, got the green light to grab Floridians by their purse strings. Scott won by a small margin over Alex Sink, who conceded before the final results were in.Well, it seems that even thedailybeast.com has…
Is it true? Did Broward Mayor Ken Keechl’s bitter loss on Election Day have nothing at all to do with his performance while in office or the effectiveness of his own campaign? Did voters fail to notice his broken promises on the courthouse and working full-time as a commissioner? Did they not…
In lieu of the silence from losing candidate Broward Mayor Ken Keechl, I spoke with his campaign manager, Eric Johnson, today. Johnson of course had made a little news recently with his negative “Convicted Criminal” mailers on Chip LaMarca, who prevailed in the race despite being outspent by more than a half-million dollars…
The cash poured in from all over the country, as unions, Christian conservatives, Tea Party ideologues, Big Pharma, and Big Oil opened their pockets. With at least $9 million raised in the Ron Klein-Allen West congressional contest, it was one of the most expensive races of its kind in the…
It just happened. Florida has officially elected the man who oversaw the greatest Medicare fraud in U.S. history as its governor. You might think I would welcome this sort of thing. I remember when I covered the 2000 recount thinking at the end of it, after the U.S. Supreme Court gave…
If your ex-con boyfriend slaps you around when you ask why he emptied out your bank account and then you take him back, everyone knows you’ve given him permission to rob and hurt you again. That’s the message voters gave Republican Rick Scott yesterday when they elected a man to…
Although Broward County election results saw a dead split between Marco Rubio and party-line pushover Kendrick Meek in the three-way race for U.S. Senator, statewide Rubio swept 49% of the vote, leaving Meek and Gov. Charlie Crist with less than 30% each. Rubio’s strongest showing was in northern counties like…
The amendment that would have given voters the right to directly approve land development projects was rejected yesterday by an overwhelming majority in both major parties. It seems the proposal was so riddled with unanswered questions and gray areas that it left voters no choice but to say “no!”…
The Palm Beach County election nightmare of 2000 — all those hanging chads, butterfly ballots, Pat Buchanan votes, and silly canvassing-board photos — seems to have taught elections officials nothing. The county’s Supervisor of Elections Office still could not count all the votes last night, delaying a final statewide tally…
Well, it’s only two years. But with Allen West serving as the congressman for the coastal congressional District 22 that spans Broward and Palm Beach counties, those years could be rather unsettling. Here’s a brief rundown of his resume:1. Resigned from the Army after being accused of mistreating an Iraqi…
Florida is stuck in a gubernatorial election rut, and voters on Twitter have been spewing their frustrations all day, making us question which is more severe: mud-slinging campaign ads or social networking rants. Regardless of which is more extreme, both are decently provocative and mindlessly entertaining — but very concerning…
