LOOKING AHEAD THIS WEEK

Sandra Bernard-Bastien, chief communications officer, Children’s Services Council of Broward County

Canadians go to the polls on Oct 21st and the outcome of that election is hard to predict. It’s been confusing and unpredictable from the start, with Justin Trudeau tarnished with ethical questions. The blackface controversy created another problem for a leader who had placed diversity and inclusion at the core of his image. Conservative leader Andrew Scheer thought he’d scored points on issues of character, but then his dual American citizenship was disclosed. Not surprisingly, Jagmeet Singh of the NDP surged in the polls AND, the Bloc Quebecois seems resurrected. And here we thought that Canadian politics was boring.

Kathleen Cannon, president, United Way of Broward County

According to StopBullying.gov, an official website of the U.S. government, 1 in 5 children ages 12-18 report have experienced bullying, and more than 70% of students have witnessed bullying. Unfortunately, bullying doesn’t stop at adulthood, as is obvious by the comments on social media these days. October is National Bullying Prevention Month and it’s important to not only recognize the signs of bullying, but also to speak out when we witness it. “If you see something, say something” applies to bullying, too.

Lamar Fisher, member, Broward County Commission

The 2020 Census is coming your way! Over the next few months, Census 2020 workers will be making their way throughout our community to assist us in getting a complete count next year. It’s important to know that Census Workers are employed from the hours of 9AM-9PM and are readily identifiable by an ID badge that includes their name, photograph, Department of Commerce watermark and an expiration date. They will never ask for your social security number, money or donations, anything on behalf of a political party or bank or credit card account numbers. For more information please visit Broward.org/Census2020.

Tracey Labgold, chairperson, Anti-Defamation League Florida

On October 27, 2018, a white supremacist killed 11 congregants at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh in the deadliest antiSemitic attack in U.S. history. The shooter allegedly told police that he wanted to kill Jews, whom he condemned for bringing immigrants into the country. As we approach the one-year anniversary of the attack, let us remember Joyce Fienberg, Richard Gottfried, Rose Mallinger, Jerry Rabinowitz, Cecil Rosenthal, David Rosenthal, Bernice Simon, Sylvan Simon, Daniel Stein, Melvin Wax, and Irving Younger, and all who have suffered acts of anti-Semitism and hate.

Marty Kiar, property appraiser, Broward County

Broward County will be represented for the 7th straight year in the Major League Baseball World Series. Washington Nationals outfielder, Michael A. Taylor, was born in Fort Lauderdale, attended Westminster Academy and will play in the World Series. Since 2013, each team with a former Broward resident has been on the winning team. If the Washington Nationals win, Michael Taylor will join the New York Giants’ Michael Morse, Kansas City Royals’ Eric Hosmer, Chicago Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo, Houston Astros’ Mike Fiers and the Red Sox’s Mike Napoli and J.D. Martinez. Good luck Michael, Broward County is proud of you!

John “Jack” P. Seiler, former mayor, Fort

Lauderdale

The European Union and the United Kingdom apparently struck a deal on Brexit, but it now faces long odds for approval by the British Parliament. Although there was optimism in Brussels when the new deal to get the UK out of the EU was announced, there was pessimism in London as British lawmakers bring the latest Brexit deal forward for a vote. The former Prime Minister failed three times to get similar deals approved, and the new Prime Minister definitely faces an uphill battle, especially with the unresolved issue of the Irish border.

Beam Furr, member, Broward County Com

mission

A person is only as good as their word – and so is a country. Unfortunately, the U.S. has gone back on its word too often recently. We’re seeing it with the abandonment of our Kurdish allies - why become our ally when we do something like that? We saw it when we left the Iran nuclear deal - why would any country come to the table again? We left the UN Climate Accords – how can America be trusted as global leader? It took years to build this trust in America’s leadership, but we’re witnessing how fast it can be destroyed.

Ghenete “G” Wright Muir, attorney, LGBTQ

advocate

The national holiday celebrating a man responsible for unthinkable atrocities is slowly but surely being rejected. Yassss! Social media was covered with commentary like “I choose not to honor a history that glorifies and celebrates colonialism, and erases the pain, suffering, and genocide of Indigenous people…A growing number of U.S. cities…will instead celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day,” posted by Chevara Orrin. I recall my dad telling me that that man did not discover a thing but my schools said otherwise. Hopefully, all schools will now remove the narrative of this man’s so-called discovery of the Americas from their curriculum.