Longtime civic activists seeking political seat

Two longtime civic activists are in a battle to represent one of Fort Lauderdale’s most contentious political districts.

Steve Glassman, 65, a former educator and former county cultural affairs administrator, faces Tim Smith, 61, a former city commissioner, in the March 13 election.

Both candidates accuse the other of misleading voters. Glassman says Smith isn’t really a folksy man of the people, but rather a wealthy establishment candidate. Smith says Glassman isn’t truly a guard against overdevelopment because he voted for highrises when he served on a city development advisory board.

The top issues in Fort Lauderdale elections this year are clear, both candidates say: failing sewer pipes, overdevelopment, traffic congestion.

Glassman is a longtime historic preservation activist who said he’s watched every meeting of the City Commission for the past 20 years. He served until recently on the planning and zoning board.

Smith is a longtime activist and landscaper in Middle River Terrace, promoting redevelopment and investing in real estate. In more recent years, he became a multi-millionaire, he said, selling his real estate and a bed-and-breakfast he and his wife established in Georgia.

He said with so much turnover this year on the City Commission, his experience as a city commissioner from 1997 to 2003 is needed.

District 2 spans the central beach, parts of downtown that are north of Broward Boulevard, Sailboat Bend, the Las Olas Isles, and neighborhoods hugging the Middle River, stretching west to Northwest Ninth Avenue. It is currently represented by Dean Trantalis, who is leaving the seat because he’s running for mayor.

Glassman was the top vote-getter in the Jan. 16 primary, winning 35 percent in a five-way contest. Smith was in second place, with 25 percent.

Glassman said Smith portrays himself as a folksy common man. But he’s a “fat cat” because of the money he’s made in real estate since leaving office, Glassman said.

“I’m a folksy fat cat now,” Smith said. “I’m not a changed person.” He said he lives in the same home and has been married to the same woman, Cindy, for 40 years. “I don’t wear any jewelry. I still have mustard stains on my shirt. I’m really a bluecollar guy at heart.”

Smith’s real estate deals have rankled some of his critics, who say he benefited personally from his civic advocacy. Smith pushed for public improvements, like the purchase of Middle River Terrace Park and a major streetscaping project on Northeast 13th Street, and then profited when he sold land he owned nearby.

“If anybody says I did it to line my pockets, they just don’t know me and are mistaken,” Smith says.

Smith said Glassman’s self-portrayal as a slowgrowth candidate is phony. He said Glassman approved 3,012 residential and hotel units at the beach and downtown in his years on the planning and zoning board. The votes were taken over a period of seven years and involved 27 projects.

Smith, who approved more than two dozen towers when he was a city commissioner and says he’s “for redevelopment,” said the approval of development is not his beef. He said Glassman is attempting to “play both sides.”

Glassman said he voted no when the Bahia Mar redevelopment on public land came to the advisory board, and also voted against a controversial plan to build condos around the Galleria Mall on Sunrise Boulevard. The projects that got his votes, he said had “buy-in from the neighborhoods.”