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Democratic Lieutenant Governor nominee Daryl Jones will cut the ribbon toofficially open the South Florida Democratic Vote Center this Wednesday,October 11 at 7:15pm. The Democratic Vote Center is sponsored by theFlorida GLBT Democratic PAC, and is located at 1700 N. Andrews Avenue inFort Lauderdale. The Center will drive the GOTV effort on behalf ofDemocratic candidates, and will be used by the Women's, Black, Hispanic, andGLBT caucuses, as well as by individual candidates.
WHAT: Grand opening and ribbon cutting for the Democratic Vote Center
WHEN: Wednesday, October 11 7:15pm
WHERE: Democratic Vote Center
1700 N. Andrews Ave.
Fort Lauderdale
WHO: Democratic Lieutenant Governor nominee Daryl Jones
Mitch Ceasar, chair, Broward Democratic Executive Committee
Michael Albetta, president, Florida GLBT Democratic Caucus
Sarah Brown, president, Democratic Women's Caucus
Other Caucus representatives TBD
NOTE: Immediately after the opening, the Dolphin Democrats will hold
their monthly meeting in the Center.
INFO: The Democratic Vote Center is open to any Democratic club,
caucus or candidate for get-out-the-vote activities between now and Election
Day.
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By Paul Harris - The Independent
Why Not Vote "Absentee" in November?
As you read this the political primary elections and the first round ofvoting for new judges is over. Did you vote? Did you mean to but somehowfail to get around to it? Perhaps you ended up having to work a double shiftat your place of employment;or your parent or friend or partner was ill andyou had to stick around; did work take you out of state; or your newmedicine regime kicked in and as a result you didn't want to be too far awayfrom the bathroom. Things crop up. It is pretty much the only thing you canguarantee in life!
Well, whether you voted in the first round of elections or not we here at"The Independent" would like to suggest you might want to get an AbsenteeBallot. You do not have to be ill or give any reason whatsoever as to whyyou are applying for one. You are entitled to one as of right.
What happens is the ballot is mailed to you well before election day and youcomplete it in the privacy of your own home and pop it into the mail. Followthe instructions carefully. You will need to sign a space on the outside ofthe envelope in which you place your ballot so they can check it ifnecessary. There is also the added advantage that in the event of a recountin a very close election with the voters who vote absentee there is a papertrail.
Please contact rays.list@comcast.net for full letter
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St. Petersburg Times
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/10/State/Events_denying_Davis_.shtml
Events denying Davis a spotlight
The Democrat needs headlines to narrow a governor's race gap, but the other party's scandal is grabbing them.
ADAM C. SMITH and ALEX LEARY
Published October 10, 2006
Jim Davis could be the only Democrat in America actually hurt by the Mark Foley scandal.
At a time when the Democratic gubernatorial nominee is struggling to ignite some excitement and draw attention to his race against Republican front-runner Charlie Crist, the congressional page scandal makes it even harder for Davis to grab the spotlight.
"The Foley scandal has taken a week of airtime out of what was in essence a
five-week general election campaign," Democratic consultant Derek Newton said. "And when you're the guy behind, you need every news cycle you can get."
Even before Foley's sudden resignation from Congress, the first wide-open Florida governor's race since 1990 had been flying beneath the radar for much of the public. One month before the election Davis still remains little-known to most voters.
"It's the best-kept secret in town," Ginger Grossman, a Democratic activist in Miami-Dade County, said of the Davis campaign for which she is volunteering. She said the local campaign office lacks signs, literature and buttons, and that Democrats are clamoring for Davis get more aggressive.
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http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/10/Northpinellas/Foley_scandal_creates.shtml
Politics
Foley scandal creates a quagmire
By Times Staff Writer
Published October 10, 2006
A week and half after Rep. Mark Foley resigned from Congress, GOP candidates nationwide are walking a tricky line condemning Foley for sending racy messages to former House pages while reaffirming loyalty to party leaders.
In Florida's 9th Congressional District, Democratic candidate Phyllis Busansky has said House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-New York, ignored "red flags" and are now trying to cover up their inaction. Whether investigations reveal criminal wrongdoing, Hastert "knew Foley was a loose cannon," failed to take care of the situation and ought to resign, she said.
Busansky also has called on Republican nominee Gus Bilirakis to return campaign contributions from Hastert and other Republican leaders who fielded early complaints about Foley.
Bilirakis talked to the Times about the scandal last week:
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The Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/15719890.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Posted on Tue, Oct. 10, 2006
CAMPAIGN 2006 | JIM DAVIS
Davis targets violence against kids
Visiting Miami, Democrat Jim Davis pledged to spend more money on juvenile crime prevention if he is elected governor.
BY BETH REINHARD
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
The parents of 9-year-old murder victim Sherdavia Jenkins and Democratic candidate for governor Jim Davis came together Monday to say they have a common goal: keeping children safe from violence.
Sherrone and David Jenkins were among two dozen community activists, law enforcement officials, politicians and ministers who participated in the discussion at the Carrie P. Meek Senior and Cultural Center in Miami. Former U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, who ran for governor in 2002, also attended.
Sherdavia Jenkins was killed by a stray bullet on July 1 as she played with a doll on her front porch.
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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/local/states/florida/counties/broward_county/15719917.htm
The Miami Herald
Posted on Tue, Oct. 10, 2006
CORRECTIONS
Jail crowds prompt audit request
Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne has asked a federal agency to help counter the county's surging jail population.
BY NIKKI WALLER
nwaller@MiamiHerald.com
More than a decade after a class-action suit forced reforms at Broward jails, county Sheriff Ken Jenne says the lockups are again overcrowded. And he's looking for help in figuring out why.
Jenne wants the National Institute of Corrections, a branch of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, to conduct an audit aimed at determining where inmates are coming from and how many are there needlessly.
Broward's jail population has consistently exceeded capacity for several months, and on nights when regular beds are full, inmates must sleep on cots set out in the hallways alongside other inmates' cells.
Broward Sheriff's Office spokesman Elliot Cohen says jail security can handle the overflow, but in a Sept. 20 letter to the federal corrections agency, Jenne wrote: ``We are concerned that increased overcrowding will lead to an unstable, less secure jail environment.''
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http://www.news-journalonline.com/scripts/printme.asp
October 10, 2006
For attorney general
Campbell more likely to shed partisanship
Unlike commissioner of agriculture or chief financial officer, attorneygeneral is one Cabinet position Florida voters tend not to scratch theirheads about. The position owes its high profile to Bob Butterworth, who heldit commandingly from 1986 to 2002. Charlie Crist wisely followed inButterworth's footsteps since then. Both endowed the cabinet post with theindependence and influence it warrants, keeping partisanship to a minimum,defending criminal appeals, focusing on consumer interests, issuing legalopinions and fostering open government.
Republican Bill McCollum, a former congressman and current congressionallobbyist, and Walter "Skip" Campbell, a Democratic state senator fromBroward County since 1996, are vying for the position Crist is vacating torun for governor. Campbell is the better choice to represent Floridians'interests in the tradition of Butterworth and Crist.
As a personal injury lawyer, Campbell earned the highest professionalratings and peer commendations and either presided over or helped directvarious legal associations, including membership on the Board of Governorsof the Florida Bar from 1988 to 1996. He knows the law and respects itspower and limits.
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The Palm Beach Post
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2006/10/10/m1a_foleyinvestigate_1010.html
Legal battle over access to records taking shape in Foley investigation
By Richard B. Schmitt
Los Angeles Times
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
WASHINGTON - Five months ago, the FBI touched off a legal and political firestorm when it raided the office of Rep. William Jefferson after wads of marked $100 bills were found in the Louisiana Democrat's freezer.
Now, with major questions about that search still unsettled, the right of investigators to gain access to lawmakers' documents and computers is shaping up as a key battleground in the probe surrounding former Rep. Mark Foley.
State and federal investigators are trying to determine whether Foley's Internet exchanges with former House pages constituted a crime. Since opening a preliminary investigation a week ago, they have started interviewing former pages and congressional aides.
Authorities are now deciding whether to subpoena records from the office and home computers that Foley used, according to people familiar with the case, who requested anonymity. Such evidence would be central in building a case against the Fort Pierce Republican.
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Florida Today
http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20061010/CAPITOLNEWS06/61010002/-1/capitolnews&template=printart
October 10, 2006
Sen. Clinton to campaign for Davis
By Bill Cotterell
Political Editor
TALLAHASSEE -- First, it was former Virginia Governor Mark Warner campaigning with Democratic nominee Jim Davis in his bid for governor.
Then, the Florida Democratic Party brought in Sen. Barack Obama of Illinoisto help the ticket of Davis and former state Sen. Daryl Jones, D-Miami,raisemoney for the race. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has also dropped in to helpthe party and its top candidates.
This week, another potential presidential prospect will appear with Davis -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. The former first lady is the main attraction ata $250-per-person reception Friday night at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel inCoconut Grove.
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http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/CD/20061010/CAPITOLNEWS06/61010003/-1/capitolnews
Florida Today
October 10, 2006
Crist has large lead in latest poll
Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE -- Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jim Davis faces adifficult battle to overcome Republican Charlie Crist, as a poll releasedtoday shows Crist with a solid lead and that few likely voters are whollyundecided.
Crist, the state's attorney general, was backed by 53 percent of likelyvoters, including leaners, compared to 43 percent who said they favored theDemocratic congressman from Tampa with 3 percent undecided. The randomtelephone survey of 783 likely voters was taken between Oct. 3-8 byQuinnipiac (Conn.) University Polling Institute.
Crist was favored by 50 percent to Davis' 39 percent in a larger sampling(968) of registered voters.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pfoley10oct10,0,1044311.story
GOP-leaning congressional district may tilt Democratic after Foley sexscandal
Across this diverse region, residents have mixed reactions
By Josh Hafenbrack
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 10, 2006
PUNTA GORDA · As a big orange sun set in the Gulf of Mexico, theconversation veered toward politics between Wilson Randolph and a fewbuddies gathered under their favorite tiki hut at Harpoon Harry's, awaterfront restaurant in this hurricane-battered city.
Randolph, 53, is a Republican -- no surprise in this red corner of Florida.But in the wake of the Mark Foley sex scandal, he's unsure how he's going tovote this November in the high-stakes battle for Foley's former seat.
"It really irritates the tar out of me that he did something like that,"said Randolph. He blames Republican leaders in Congress, too. "If a big redflag flies, you need to stop and take a deep breath and check it out. Howmany times did we beat up Bill Clinton for what he did?"
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