BlueBroward.orgGeneral Membership Meeting featuring Tony Fransetta of The Florida Alliance of Retired Americans. 7:30 PM at the Cypress Park Meeting Hall.
February 27, 2011
February 17, 2011
Regular Meeting – March 1, 2011
Come and hear Howard Forman on the status of the Judicial system
Hear Gerald Rennert of Florida Alliance for Retired Americans to tell us what we can do as Seniors.
February 13, 2011
Broward Dems Area Leader Candidate Roundup
Precinct committee representatives on the Democratic Executive Committee should be sure to attend Tuesday night’s meeting, which will include the election for Area Leaders. The DEC divides the county into 13 areas, and a strong area leader can make things happen within that region at election time — for example, by organizing locations for phone banking and recruiting volunteers locally. I encourage you to challenge the candidates to say what they will do to make Democratic victory more likely in coming elections.
The candidates who asked me to include an announcement with their names on BlueBroward are:
Area 4: Chester Just (incumbent) and Nicholas Steffens
Area 7: Geri Peterkin (incumbent)
Area 8: Betty DiMaio
Area 10: Randy Fleisher
Area 11: Maggie Macaulay and Marsha Smith
I’m sharing information, not offering endorsements. A few of these candidates have posted information to the blog, outlining their qualifications, and I’ve linked their names to the blog entries.
February 12, 2011
Betty DiMaio Candidate for Area 8 Leader
I am a candidate for Area Leader in Area 8 (previously Area 9) which encompasses Northern Ft. Lauderdale, Oakland Park, and Wilton Manors.
I have been a precinct committeewoman in Ft. Lauderdale for the last four years. I was a Neighborhood Team Leader for Obama in 2008, and am now a volunteer Community Organizer for Organizing for America. I am a member of several Democratic Clubs in NE Broward and was on the Board of Directors for the Dolphin Democrats in 2010.
Throughout 2009, I led the volunteer effort in Broward County to get Fair Districts petitions signed and was thrilled we not only got Fair Districts Amendments 5&6 on the ballot, but that they both passed.
During the last election cycle, I worked passionately to organize volunteers in NE Broward to get out the Democratic vote. Working with the Florida Democratic Party’s Coordinated Campaign for all our Democratic candidates in NE Broward, I hosted numerous phone banks and canvasses with the generous assistance of Ken Evans and Tim Ross who provided venues for us. While we didn’t win any of the seats we worked on, I am more committed than ever to the election of Democratic candidates. This year, I am continuing to provide opportunities for volunteers to get together to share ideas and stay active politically as we prepare for the 2012 effort.
I have been endorsed by Area Leaders Ken Evans, Ron Mills, Bernie Parness and Cynthia Busch as well as our former Area Leader Tim Ross who is now the Corresponding Secretary for the Broward DEC.
As your Area Leader, I pledge to keep you informed on local, state, and national issues. I will support you in getting out the vote in your precinct, working with you to make sure you have all the tools you need. I will coordinate our efforts with other Area Leaders, Democratic Clubs and Organizing for America.
I urge you to attend the Broward DEC meeting and vote for me for your Area Leader.
Marsha Smith
My name is Marsha Smith and I am a candidate for the position of Area Leader in Area 11 which is Pembroke Pines and Miramar. I have resided in Pembroke Pines for 15 years and have enjoyed watching Pembroke Pines and Miramar grow and improve day by day. I live in Pembroke Pines with my husband and little dog Jessy. I am presently a support facilitator (teacher) at Flanagan High school in Pembroke Pines. I am a graduate of Florida International University where I earned a Master of Science. I have worked for Broward County schools for 30 years. I am a people person who has helped students, parents, teachers and administrators. Growing up in a family of business people , I have a good sense of how businesses operate. I am a precinct captain, district leader and President of the Pembroke Pines Democratic Club. I will talk about my plans for Area 11 at the election on Tuesday February 15th at 7 p.m. I hope to see you there!
THE RIGHT CHOICE FOR AREA ELEVEN AREA LEADER
FOR THE BROWARD DEMOCRATIC PARTY
VOTE ***** MARSHA SMITH *****
February 10, 2011
Nicholas Steffens for Area 4 Leader
Dear Fellow Democrat:
For those of you who do not know me, my name is Nicholas Steffens and I have decided to run for Area 4 Leader of the Broward County Democratic Executive Committee (“DEC”.) Over the past year, I have closely monitored our local club (the Coral Springs/Parkland Democratic Club), the DEC, political activities in the area and the election results, both primary and general. After considering all of this and at the urging of several local Democrats, I have decided that I should run for this position. The election will take place on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at Deicke Auditorium in Plantation, Florida.
For those of you who do not know me, I currently serve as a District Leader for Area 4 in the DEC and Secretary of the Coral Springs/Parkland Democratic Club. I am also a member of the Broward Young Democrats and the Regular Democratic Club of Margate. I am a local lawyer with my own practice in Coral Springs. My wife, daughter and I live in Parkland. Further, I currently serve on the City of Parkland’s Education Advisory Board and the Broward County Parks Advisory Board. I also serve on the Executive Committee of the Parkland Chamber of Commerce. My family is a member of Congregation Kol Tikvah in Parkland.
To be clear, this is neither a race against the current office holder nor a part of some plot against the current leadership of the DEC. Instead, my candidacy represents something quite different – an opportunity for genuine, progressive activism in northwest Broward County.
During the primary and the general election, our area had virtually no leadership to provide direction on election activities. Fortunately, I was able to coordinate with the Ron Klein/Florida Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign to have a phone bank established at my law office to support Congressman Klein, Alex Sink and Dan Gelber. While we may have come up short, thousands of phone calls were made out of this phone bank thanks to local volunteers coordinated by myself and the coordinated campaign and our area was one of the best performing in 22nd Congressional District. Recently, I also helped Commissioner Le Peerman win her election in Margate by organizing voter turnout drives and her internet presence.
The other area I will focus on is being an emissary between different communities of interest and the Democratic Party. Specifically, the Area Leader should be working to develop relationships with faith leaders, small business owners, community organizers, local activists, young people, senior citizens and other potential sources of volunteers, voters and leaders. While some members of these groups would be new to me, I already have strong ties in many of them which will increase our chance for success.
The unquestionable fact is that modern politics is evolving quickly. We have no idea what the political landscape will look like in two years. However, in two years, we must have known that we did all we could to re-elect Barack Obama, to take advantage of new legislative and Congressional Districts and ensure that a Democrat is sent to the U.S. Senate from Florida. It is my solemn promise to all of you that I will work hard as your Area Leader to make sure all of these things happen.
If you would like to speak to me further about my candidacy, do not hesitate to do so. I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, December 15, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. at Deicke Auditorium.
Sincerely,
NICHOLAS T. STEFFENS
(954) 399-0529
February 8, 2011
CHESTER JUST, Candidate for DEC Area 4 Leader
Download the campaign flyer (PDF)
I am a candidate for Re-election as DEC Area 4 Leader. The election will be at a regular DEC Meeting at 7:00 P.M. Tuesday, February 15, 2011. Deicke Auditorium, 5701 Cypress Road, Plantation. I ask for your support. The rules require your personal presence.
Area 4 consists of all precincts in Coral Springs (E-003 thru E-043) and Parkland
(Q-040 thru Q-046).
Facts – about the position of Area 4 Leader:
1. I have served as Area 4 Leader for the past 2 years.
2. The election is limited to DEC Precinct Committeepersons who appear at the election in
person. Proxies are not permitted.
3. I have reasons for seeking re-election: I will continue to be an effective voice in the DEC with definite proposals to advance and strengthen our party. I am open to your suggestions.
a. Serve as a voice for liberal and progressive Democratic positions on political issues. Protecting advancements in Health Care reform. Defending Social Security from privatization. Ending our engagements in futile foreign wars. Investing our resources in job-creating infra-structure projects. Moving Florida from the bottom of the list in education funding. Enacting more favorable labor laws in Florida. Support of EFCA. Seeking a more progressive taxing system based on ability to pay. Closing down the SOA. Protection of choice in reproductive rights. Promotion of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Work to nominate and elect candidates who support these goals.
b. Politics. The DEC must bring out the vote and support Democratic candidates – but it also has an obligation to provide its members with a forum, a sounding board – a means to be heard – on vital social and political issues. Your voice counts.
c. Specifics. I would like our party to consider seeking partisan municipal elections – so we know if we are voting for a Democrat or a Republican or for someone who does not know who they are. I would like to see an Election Ballot set up along party lines. We would have many more Democratic elected officials if our last ballot had been organized along party lines. I would like to see the Democratic Party as the primary source of funding to run elections – rather than each candidate currently having his or her own separate political organization.
d. Positions. These ideas are not cast in stone. Politics is the art of the possible. But a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, and I believe that I can advance the best interests of our party. Your input is welcome.
QUALIFICATIONS: Labor law attorney. Law practice and Administrative Law Adjudicator. Liberal and progressive Democrat. ACLU. Anti-Defamation League, Amnesty International. SOA Watch. Gold Card (35 year) American Federation of Musicians AFL-CIO member. FADP. American United for Separation of Church and State. Democratic club memberships.
Thank you for your consideration.
Your calls are welcome. Chester Just (Committeeman Pct E-13) 8501 Shadow Court, Coral Springs, FL 33071
Tel 954-971-1998 & Fax 954-971-4838
Cel 954-464-1022 E-mail: LegalMr@aol.com
February 7, 2011
Randy Fleischer for Area Leader 10
Please accept my nomination for Area Leader for Area 10 which now includes Weston, Davie, Cooper City and Southwest Ranches for Area Leader election on Tuesday February 15, 2001 at Deike Auditorium.
I believe that I am well qualified for this position as I have been elected to the DEC every election year since 1996 and have always worked hard for good democratic candidates. I have already called many of the precinct committee persons and believe I have strong support.
My service to the party is well documented. I served as President of the Broward Young Democrats from 1999 to 2001. During that period I was on the Gore Steering Committee for Broward, was elected to and participated in the 2000 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles, and was one of the attorneys involved in the Gore Recount, including getting affidavits from democrats turned away from the polls and counting chad for two days at the Broward Emergency Office in Plantation. I have been on the local legal team for Gore, Kerry and Obama performing poll watching and acting at the polls as Election Law attorney.
I also served as President of the Pine Island Ridge Democratic Club. As president I organized many great activities at Pine Island Ridge, including beer tastings (Rod Smith attended as candidate for Governor), movie nights showing Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11, the Just Desserts roast of the Bush family with elected officials doing comedy, a monthly newsletter, a Christmas party and guest speakers at meetings.
I have often opened my law office in Davie on State Rd 84 for phone banks so Democratic volunteers had a local place to phone bank and pick up campaign literature. I did this for the campaigns of Al Gore, John Kerry and Barack Obama.
In my precinct, T10, I have worked to improve Democratic turnout and have one the largest and best performing precincts in the county. I have walked my precinct (once with Debbie Wasserman Schults and Martin Kiar), called superdemocrats in the precinct, sent a mailing with a palm card that many voters brought with them to the polls and always work my poll on election day from 7 am to 7 pm.
If elected Area Leader I will organize quarterly meetings that will also be social events. I propose having these meetings at different locations around the area in Weston, Davie and Cooper City. These meetings will be at bar restaurants, pool halls, bowling alleys, diners or clubs where we can invite precinct people and those we want to promote as precinct leaders. We will also issue lists of voters to precinct committee persons so that they have the tools to call, walk or mail voters in their precincts. Finally, I will appoint leaders to be responsible for the different cities and neighborhoods so that we have a strong organization.
Please be aware of my concern that Chair Ceasar will attempt to prevent my nomination and election as Area Leader. His animosity towards me is well documented as he tried to prevent me from becoming President of the Pine Island Ridge Democrat Club in 2005 by enacting rules preventing a person from serving as officer of a club if they do not live within the club’s boundaries. While I did not live in the Pine Island Ridge condominiums, I lived in the single family home development right across the street. I grieved his ruling and Ceasar eventually backed down, although the grievance committee never issued a decision. In 2008 Ceasar attempted to remove me from my elected seat as Precinct Committeeman, although I received more votes than anyone in a Broward precinct race, except for maybe two condominium committee persons with more votes. The Florida Democratic Party reversed Ceasar’s decision, but it was long after the Area Leader election, therefore I was unable to run two years because Ceasar prevented me from running by his actions.
It is vital to the party that we are organized for the 2012 elections. Our State Representative, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, is going to have another hateful tea party opponent. I worked the polls in the 2010 primary and general elections and saw the venomous hate they spew at Debbie. It is vital that we organize and get a great turnout for Debbie as well as Senator Bill Nelson, who I am sure will have a tough state wide race.
I am deeply disappointed by the 2010 election results. Florida has elected a governor with no government experience, who paid billions in fines for ripping off medicare/Medicaid and who is set on dismantling public education, health care and any safety net that protects the weakest among us.
Many of us are deeply concerned about the tragic path that our state is on. Only be organization and hard work can we overcome the right wing republicans and tea partiers that are working hard to change government for their own benefit.
It is time to re-organize and re-group as Democratic turnout in gubernatorial elections has decreased every cycle since 1998. I hate the feeling that Democrats are losers and those with the most money win.
That is why I hope that you will accept my nomination as Area Leader and ensure that the election is fair and above-reproach.
Please contact me and provide election procedures and confirm that everyone on the list you provided me is eligble to vote.
Thank you
s/R.Fleischer
Randy A. Fleischer, Esq.
Law Offices of Randy A. Fleischer, P.A.
8258 State Rd 84
Davie FL 33324
February 3, 2011
Greater Ft. Lauderdale Democratic Club
Greater Ft. Lauderdale Democratic Club will meet Feb 10, 2011 at 6pm
- Ft. Lauderdale City Hall 8th 100 N. Andrews Ave
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
Please join us!
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