Tamarac City Commissioner Mike Gelin.
By Tom Lauder
Congressional candidate Dale Holness claims Tamarac Commissioner Elberg Mike Gelin made a campaign contribution with a worthless check, Federal records show.
Holness’s failed Congress bid ended last year with a stunning defeat at the hands of political newcomer Sheila Cherfilus McCormick. Gelin is a longtime ally of Holness, a former Broward County Commissioner.
A January filing with the Federal Elections Commission lists a $500 contribution from Elberg Mike Gelin of Tamarac. Records show October 29, 2021, as the date of Gelin’s contribution. In the same filing, the Holness campaign lists an October 28, 2021, disbursement of $500 to Elberg Mike Gelin.
In the space marked “purpose for disbursement,” the Holness campaign wrote, “Bounced Contribution Check.”
Bounced. See, Non-sufficient funds or worthless.
Of course, anyone can bounce a check. And there are numerous reasons why a check would not clear. A simple bank error could have been the cause of Elberg Mike Gelin’s bad check.
Perhaps Gelin lost track of his numerous campaign contributions. A review of campaign records shows Gelin made thousands of dollars in contributions to politicians over the last decade.
Last year, Gelin made contributions to radical Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Senator Raphael Warnock, the late Alcee Hastings, numerous progressive political committees, State Rep. Dotie Joseph, and several (non-returned) contributions to Dale Holness.
No wonder Elberg Mike Gelin tried to get the Tamarac City Commission to limit campaign contributions a few weeks ago!
But Elberg Mike Gelin isn’t just anyone. As a Tamarac Commissioner, Gelin loves to spend taxpayers’ money.
Remember the race track controversy at a city park?
What about the huge increase in the Commissioners’ travel budget?
And don’t forget the recent City newsletter that some residents feel was Gelin campaign propaganda.
Then, there’s the $300,000 disparity study that Gelin wanted to ram through without disclosing his wife was a huge proponent of the study.
REDBROWARD obtained an August 2020 video of Shaheewa Jarret Gelin, founder of the Broward County Black Chamber of Commerce, bragging about how the studies would help her affiliates get a piece of the 41 million dollars spent by the City Of Tamarac. The 2020 interview was conducted by Ann Marie Sorrell, one of the consultants seeking the $300K deal with Tamarac and a relative of Dale Holness.
Now, Gelin wants more money from Tamarac taxpayers to hire more aides and community liaisons to spread his name across town.
If Elberg Mike Gelin can’t keep his own finances in check, should Tamarac residents continue to trust him with their money?
Originally reprinted with permission from RedBroward.com.
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