Candidates at the Council!
You can generally tell when the City Elections are nearing by attending the
Fort Lauderdale Council of Civic Associations.
Why?
Because the proportion of politicians (and wanna-be politicians) to regular attendees will increase ten-fold !
The Council is a collection of neighborhoods and civic groups in the City. They meet monthly at City Hall, and are made up of mostly neighborhood Presidents and opinion-makers. They discuss the myriad of issues that affect the City. If you are running for office, you should be there !
The Council has been around for about 30 years and currently boasts 51 memberships. Some years it's been an very effective group that the Mayor, Commissioners, and City Managers take seriously. Sometimes not. When I was a City Commissioner, we often referred to them ( affectionately, of course) as the Council of Trouble Makers!
Here is their current leader, Genia Ellis. Ellis is probably more clued in than any citizen in Fort Lauderdale.
Ellis makes it her business to know what's going on. She attends all City Commission meetings, serves on Boards, and runs the Citizen Volunteer Corps. Ellis has led the Council for about 5 years and is term limited out in a few months. Who her successor will be is still up in the air.
Here's a list of the candidates (and current officials) that showed up at the Council last night to see and be seen.
District IV Candidate (Hutchinson's district)
Coleman Prewitt with Adriane Reesey who
ran unsuccessfully for Supervisor of Elections
District III Candidate (Moore's former district)
Bobby Dubose
District II Candidate (Rodstrom District)
Howard Elfman
District II Candidate Steve Glassman
with anti-development activist Shirley Smith
Mayoral Candidate and former City Commissioner
Dean Trantalis
Mayoral Candidate and former State Rep
Jack Seiler
District III (newly appointed)
Commissioner Dr. Magdalene Lewis
Mayor Jim Naugle *
* photo taken after I asked Jim for an interview for this blog.... He said not just yet.... actually he said "don't hold your breath" ! .... Come on Jim!
Fort Lauderdale Council of Civic Associations.
Why?
Because the proportion of politicians (and wanna-be politicians) to regular attendees will increase ten-fold !
The Council is a collection of neighborhoods and civic groups in the City. They meet monthly at City Hall, and are made up of mostly neighborhood Presidents and opinion-makers. They discuss the myriad of issues that affect the City. If you are running for office, you should be there !
The Council has been around for about 30 years and currently boasts 51 memberships. Some years it's been an very effective group that the Mayor, Commissioners, and City Managers take seriously. Sometimes not. When I was a City Commissioner, we often referred to them ( affectionately, of course) as the Council of Trouble Makers!
Here is their current leader, Genia Ellis. Ellis is probably more clued in than any citizen in Fort Lauderdale.
Ellis makes it her business to know what's going on. She attends all City Commission meetings, serves on Boards, and runs the Citizen Volunteer Corps. Ellis has led the Council for about 5 years and is term limited out in a few months. Who her successor will be is still up in the air.
Here's a list of the candidates (and current officials) that showed up at the Council last night to see and be seen.
District IV Candidate (Hutchinson's district)
Coleman Prewitt with Adriane Reesey who
ran unsuccessfully for Supervisor of Elections
District III Candidate (Moore's former district)
Bobby Dubose
District II Candidate (Rodstrom District)
Howard Elfman
District II Candidate Steve Glassman
with anti-development activist Shirley Smith
Mayoral Candidate and former City Commissioner
Dean Trantalis
Mayoral Candidate and former State Rep
Jack Seiler
District III (newly appointed)
Commissioner Dr. Magdalene Lewis
Mayor Jim Naugle *
* photo taken after I asked Jim for an interview for this blog.... He said not just yet.... actually he said "don't hold your breath" ! .... Come on Jim!
I have just begun to attend the Council meetings with intent of keeping my eyes and ears open to see what I can learn.
At this meeting in particular, I found the honor and recognition by the Council of Carlton Moore for his years of service to his neighborhood and to our community to be quite inspirational. As I listened, I found myself thinking that the plaudits and recognition awarded him should serve as an example of the meaning of community service for all of us...and especially for the candidates for city offices who attended the meeting. Hope it will be so!
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