Elected Democrat officials from across Florida shared the stage with controversial Plantation Councilman Nick Sortal at last night’s “Unity Kickoff” event in Tamarac. The poorly-attended Broward Democrat Party event at the Colony West Country Club featured appearances by Charlie Crist, Val Demings, Nikki Fried and other statewide candidates.
While waiting for a very late arriving Val Demmings, Party Chairman Rick Hoye called Broward elected officials to the stage. Hoye was joined by State Sen. Shevrin Jones, Broward State Attorney Harold Pryor, County Commissioner Steve Geller, Miramar Mayor Wayne Messam, Tamarac commissioner Elberg Mike Gelin and Plantation Councilman Nick Sortal.
As REDBROWARD reported in June, elected officials and party leaders were silent after Gelin attacked a Hispanic colleague and Sortal make inappropriate sexual and racial remarks.
On June 9, 2022, REDBROWARD reported how Tamarac Vice Mayor Elberg Mike Gelin directed two bigoted remarks at fellow Commissioner Elvin Villalobos. One week later, REDBROWARD revealed a Human Resources investigation showed Plantation Councilman Nick Sortal made inappropriate sexual and racial remarks to a longtime city employee.
Both men are on the November ballot in races against incumbent female mayors. Both men, and their opponents, are Democrats. As of today, the Sun-Sentinel wrote about the Sortal investigation. Nothing about Gelin’s anti-Hispanic remarks to Villalobos. Nothing else. No angry statements from lawmakers representing Tamarac and Plantation on the State and local levels. No rebukes from Democrat Party leaders or activists.
Mike Gelin is running against Mayor Michelle Gomez. During a Tamarac Commission meeting, Gelin claimed Villalobos thought “Latin American rules” applied in Florida.
“This is America. We have freedom of speech,” Gelin lectured. “That should be explained to the Commissioner who may still think that Latin American rules apply in America. And it doesn’t.”
“Excuse me? Excuse me? What do you mean that it doesn’t apply to Latin America, Vice Mayor?” Villalobos asked.
Later, Gelin stated the City Attorney needed to better educate Commissioners, “Who may not understand how this country is governed.”
While filing his paperwork to run against Plantation Mayor Lynn Stoner, Nick Sortal told a black female deputy clerk that “My dick is hard” for a battle with Stoner. Then, after learning there were no black candidates for Mayor, Sortal said, “Oh good, Plantation will never have a black mayor.”
Even though he admitted to making the comments, Nick Sortal spent a week trying to smear anyone reporting the facts. Despite being a former reporter, Sortal urged his supporters to attack the Sun-Sentinel story by Lisa Huriash. Now, Sortal and his allies want to track down the source of the story even though he made a third admission at last Wednesday’s council meeting.
Inappropriate sexual remarks. Bigoted remarks against Hispanics. Bigoted remarks against Blacks. Smear and pressure campaigns against the media.
Yet, crickets from the legacy media and party leaders.
These two men made bigoted remarks within their City Halls while conducting official business.
Is there no accountability?
Voters in Tamarac and Plantation have noticed.
Are Democrat Party leaders and media types so out of touch with their local constituents that they think it’s ok to ignore this unacceptable behavior from grown men?
Are Democrat leaders and local media so distracted by Governor Ron DeSantis and national politics that they would allow elected officials to spew sexual and racial comments to females and minorities without consequence?
Shame on them.
