By: Sharon Aron Baron
This week, Sheriff Scott Israel hosted one of many fundraising receptions in anticipation of his 2016 reelection campaign and he’s not taking another four years in office for granted.
This event was held at Scarfone’s Coal Fired Pizza in Coral Springs close to the Parkland district – one of 13 municipalities that BSO oversees, including Tamarac.
With over a year until the 2016 election, the campaign has raised around $85,000 so far and the political committee has raised $190,000 according to his Campaign Manager Amy Rose.
So far, Israel has only one opponent. Buddy Nevins of Broward Beat reported last week that Edison Jules, Deputy Chief of the Shawnee Ohio Police Department has filed to run against him. Nevins wrote although Jules appears to currently work in Ohio, he used a Plantation address to file his paperwork.
Rose believes that it’s still very early in the election cycle, and that in addition to the current opponent, she has no doubt there may be others.
Volunteers with Israel’s campaign are trying to qualify for him to be on the ballot by petition which means they need signatures from one percent of all registered voters in the County. Qualifying by petition saved Former Sheriff Al Lamberti $10,000 in costs back in 2012. Rose estimates that the amount of valid signatures they need will be around 11,000 based on 2012 and 2014 figures.
The petition is available on the Sheriff’s Website, however, only original signatures can be accepted, so they need to be printed, signed and mailed back at that time. However, residents will be able to find volunteers at many of campaign events in the future if they want to sign one at that time.
“The Sheriff is out at events and meetings in the community nearly every day,” said Rose. “However most of the campaign events right now are fundraisers.”
