Political consultant criticized for Douglas solicitation
With the slogan, “It’s not about politics, it’s about Parkland,” a local political consultant is soliciting contributions in increments of $17, with an image of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on the backdrop of the website. But it is about politics. Two days after his plea for donations to the “People Over Politics” political action committee, consultant Aaron Nevins used the same committee to send an attack piece in a Fort Lauderdale campaign he’s working on that has nothing to do with the Stoneman Douglas tragedy.
Fort Lauderdale candidate Warren Sturman said he fired Nevins as his campaign manager Tuesday, after learning about the solicitation.
“Taking money in the wake of a tragedy I think is horrible,” Sturman said Tuesday afternoon. “Not one penny of that is going to my campaign.”
Nevins, of Chelsea Road Consulting, said no money came in as a result of his solicitation, but if it does, he’ll use it for candidates or issue advocacy in Parkland. He said the request for donations had nothing to do with Sturman’s campaign in Fort Lauderdale, though he acknowledged the timing wasn’t ideal.
Nevins’ website did not disclose that donors’ money ultimately might be spent on a candidate’s run for office. It urged people to “donate $17 to show your support for this community that was shattered by gun violence.”
Nevins said the website is new, and he hasn’t filled it out with more detailed information. He said he’s been involved in Parkland political races in the past and sees a nexus between the shooting and campaigns he might be involved in.
“There are a lot of people in town who are unhappy with how things went,” Nevins said of the Feb. 14 shooting in which 17 people were killed. “There are issues that involved not just the response to the shooting but issues about how the mayor acted and town officials acted. These are legitimate campaign issues. These are the issues people are talking about in this town.”
Money for the pro-Sturman ad came from marina, development and medical interests in Fort Lauderdale, records indicate.
Sturman’s opponent in Fort Lauderdale’s District 4, Ben Sorensen, alerted voters on Facebook and in text messages, accusing Sturman’s political action committee of using the shooting to raise money for “campaign attack mailers.” The People Over Politics mail piece that landed in voters’ mailboxes this week said Sorensen is a “yes man” for developers in Fort Lauderdale.
A Parkland-based blog, Sharon Aron Baron’s Parkland Talk, called the political fundraising “in poor taste.”
“Some could say it’s tacky,” Nevins said. “Some could say it’s honoring them with $1 for each person so you can fight for these issues.”
Fort Lauderdale’s is Tuesday. election
Brittany Wallman can be reached at bwallman @sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4541. Find her on Twitter @BrittanyWallman.