By MICHAEL D’OLIVEIRA
Dean Trantalis isn’t running in the Fort Lauderdale Commission race solely to represent the LGBT community, but he is running, in part, to give it representation on the commission.
Trantalis, who served as a Fort Lauderdale commissioner from 2003 to 2006 and ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 2009, is trying to get back on the dais, as a candidate for the District 2 commission seat. The seat was vacated by Charlotte Rodstrom, effective November 19, after she unsuccessfully ran for Broward County’s District 7 seat; coming in third against the winner, Tim Ryan, and former county commissioner Ken Keechl.
“I’m not going to run into city hall with a rainbow flag and yell, ‘gay, gay, gay,’ [but] I think it’s important to have a gay voice [on the commission],” said Trantalis, who added that with a gay commissioner, the LGBT community will be elevated beyond interest group status. “It’s a high profile position in the city the [LGBT community] can’t afford to ignore.”
Specifically, Trantalis—who serves on the Agenda Media Advisory Board—wants to add sexual orientation to the list of statuses protected under the City of Fort Lauderdale’s hiring practices.
Currently the city’s official policy is it can’t fire or decline to hire an employee based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age or handicapping condition.
“The city does not practice [LGBT] discrimination,” Trantalis clarifies. “However, we still need to codify it before a non-gay friendly [commission may get elected].”
But the rest of Trantalis’ concerns involve every resident of Fort Lauderdale. One big issue is police and fire pensions and compensation.
Trantalis wants to reduce fire and police pensions and grant future raises based on the city’s fiscal ability, saying the city needs to shift its attention to creating safer, cleaner neighborhoods.
He’s also against borrowing money to shore up those pensions. In September, the commission voted to borrow $340 million and invest it in the hope that the returns would help pay for unfunded pension costs. Rodstrom and Commissioner Bobby DuBose voted against the measure.
Trantalis also wants to stop allowing police officers to take home their vehicles, a practice which increases the amount of money taxpayers spend on fuel. “That has to stop,” he said.
But before he can work on his agenda, Trantalis must defeat Chuck Black, Robert Walsh and Rodstrom herself, who was overwhelmingly re-elected in February with 78 percent of the vote. In 2009, she won her first term with the support of 53 percent of voters against two challengers. And more candidates could pop up by the qualifying deadline of this Friday, December 7.
The special election will be held January 15. If no candidate gets at least 51 percent, another election will be held March 12 between the top two vote-getters. The winner would serve the rest of the unexpired three-year term until 2015.
Trantalis says this time Rodstrom has tougher competition, and senses that many voters who supported her in the past are ready for someone new. In the battle for campaign dollars, finance reports show Rodstrom has raised the most so far with $11,100. Trantalis is in second with $7,725, and Black has $2,700. Walsh has yet to file a finance report.
