Broward News & Opinion

Picture this.

You're at a fundraiser for Fort Lauderdale Commissioner John Herbst. All the big Republican players are there. You pull out your checkbook, walk up to the sign-in table and find John Rodstrom III collecting the checks.

Yes, THAT John Rodstrom. The Democrat who (at the time) was trying to make a name for himself by fighting the developers behind The Fort.

These people have money riding on the development Rodstrom has been trying to stop. And there he is at their club, welcoming donors and collecting checks for Herbst.

One attendee described the reaction: “What the fuck is he doing here? I can't believe I just handed him a check.”

Fort Lauderdale's pickleball resistance leader was working the welcome table at the opposition's club.

And we're supposed to buy Rodstrom as the guy who'll stand up to City Hall's crowd? He was sitting at the welcome table.

His pickleball crusade certainly attracted a crowd of its own. A development fight became a gathering of the tin foil hat brigade, with Rodstrom as one of its most recognizable faces. To them, he's an anti-development crusader.

Rodstrom advertises to conservatives on Fox News. He has Herbst's Republican endorsement. He's on the Broward Democratic Party's voter card. Even the Democratic Socialists recommended him.

Congratulations, John. That's quite a collection.

But a collection of endorsements doesn't answer a basic question: What are you actually selling?

Because it sure seems to me like you're selling everything to everyone.

TAKE PROPERTY TAXES.

Rodstrom calls himself fiscally responsible but opposes Amendment 3, which would give Florida homeowners significant property tax relief. His opponent Heather Moraitis supports it.

His defense is that local governments need the money.

Of course they want the money. They always want the money. The homeowner paying the bill might have some use for it, too!

In Robin Hood, Little John was a hero. He helped fight the Sheriff of Nottingham and his tax collectors.

In Fort Lauderdale, Little John has switched sides. He's defending the government's take!

I'm sure the sheriff appreciates the help.

CHARLOTTE OWES ME A COFFEE

I've had some experience with the Rodstroms' political judgment.

In 2013, I helped Charlotte Rodstrom try to reclaim the commission seat she'd vacated to run for the county commission seat her husband was leaving.

She had a chance to win outright and avoid a runoff. We identified more than 300 voters who said they supported her. I handed her the list and told her to call them that weekend.

Instead, she wanted to spend the weekend in Las Olas Isles.

Big John defended the decision. “Those are her people.”

No, John. Her people were the voters who had already said they were voting for her. We had their names. We had their numbers.

I bet Charlotte a cup of coffee that more than half wouldn't vote. She finished first with 46%, but went on to lose the runoff by 18 votes.

Now another Rodstrom wants a seat, complete with the familiar name and an impressive collection of political connections.

I'm more interested in his judgment. Fighting developers, then working the welcome table at their club. Selling fiscal responsibility while opposing homeowner tax relief. Offering conservatives, Democrats and socialists something to put on a voter card.

That's a sales pitch, not a platform.

Charlotte still owes me a cup of coffee after all these years. But Fort Lauderdale doesn't owe the Rodstroms another seat.