With votes already being cast in Florida, many political organizations and media outlets are making their endorsements for the election.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel has published its choices for Fort Lauderdale Mayor and City Commissioners, and it’s bereft of LGBTQ candidates.
When you compare their choices against LGBTQ advocacy group SAVE’s picks, the difference is glaring. Every editorial board sets their own criteria. SAVE values pro-equality candidates and that shows in their decisions.
SAVE’s picks are: incumbent Dean Trantalis for Mayor; incumbent Steve Glassman for District 2; and political newcomer Norby Belz in District 1. All three are openly LGBTQ. In District 4, SAVE endorsed vocal ally Ben Sorenson.
There is zero overlap with the Sun-Sentinel’s picks.
While they go out of their way to mention Trantalis and Glassman’s pioneering political careers and diversity, they seem to give it no weight.
It wasn’t that long ago that candidates like the Glassman and Trantalis campaigns would be finished five minutes after paying the filing fee.
Constituents, both LGBTQ and heterosexual, should be ecstatic that qualified out candidates are not only electable but are actually elected. Often, people who profess to be an ally are only in it for the vote. We’re looking at you, Chip LaMarca.
Qualified LGBTQ candidates haven’t just walked the walk, they’ve lived the life. Elected officials who understand that the challenges of constituents don’t end at a district or city line.
The fact that the Sun-Sentinel appears to not give weight to these criteria is a disservice to its readers.
The reasons the Sun-Sentinel does give for its choices can be described as short-sighted.
Their main complaint is they perceive Trantalis and Glassman as being too friendly with developers and not playing hard ball when negotiating new projects. They also cite infrastructure issues, especially the sewage problem, while lamenting how campaigns are funded.
The U.S. Supreme Court has weighed in on campaign finance, essentially creating a “wild west” environment and saying anything, and any amount, goes. Fixing an issue like sewage in the streets takes a lot of time and a lot of money, and solutions are already in the pipeline.
Where will that money come from? Taxpayers.
The more taxpayers that live and work in a city, the more money the city has to grow while keeping tax rates low. You need only look to Fort Lauderdale’s neighbor to the east, Wilton Manors, to see why shunning growth sows the seeds for long term budgetary pain.
Wilton Manors dragged its feet for years before updating zoning to allow for taller structures. Three major projects have been approved, but none have broken ground.
Now the city faces more years of stagnant population and projected decreases in revenue.
Obviously, just because someone is LGBTQ doesn’t make them qualified for office. In the August election, Jason Loring, the president of Broward County’s Log Cabin Republicans, ran for school board. SAVE and the Dolphin Democrats gave their support to Sarah Leonardi. A fierce ally, she defends LGBTQ employees, students and parents at every turn.
The reason Fort Lauderdale is a vibrant and thriving city today is because of growth. While smart growth is important, let’s face it, any growth will suffer from growing pains.
It took time, effort and, yes, development, to make Fort Lauderdale more than an afterthought to Miami.
Fort Lauderdale’s transformation into a vibrant, welcoming city is due, in part, to its vibrant LGBTQ community and the LGBTQ people and allies elected to represent them.
This editorial is not suggesting other candidates will not also be fierce allies for the LGBTQ community.
But representation does matter.
