On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at the General Membership Meeting the Dolphin Democrats unanimously passed a Resolution in support of Sheriff Scott Israel.
Please read the resolution by clicking here: ResolutionScottIsrael
On Wednesday, March 14, 2018 at the General Membership Meeting the Dolphin Democrats unanimously passed a Resolution in support of Sheriff Scott Israel.
Please read the resolution by clicking here: ResolutionScottIsrael
Letter to the Editor
February 28, 2018
RE: Article Entitled “Dolphin Dems Accused of ‘Rigging’ Their Endorsement.”
I am writing in reference to your article entitled “Dolphin Dems Accused of ‘Rigging’ Their Endorsement.” The reason Mr. Smith was not on the ballot for endorsement at the February meeting is because he did not comply with the endorsement process as stated in the bylaws and was therefore ineligible to be endorsed.
The Dolphin Democrats is undergoing major changes in its leadership and community involvement. Membership has more than doubled in the past year and new board members are actively engaged in rebuilding the organization. In November 2017 the Bylaws Committee met and completely reviewed the bylaws of the organization and proposed amendments to update them. The revised bylaws were submitted to the membership and voted on at the January 10, 2018 meeting.
One amendment says candidate endorsements are made for one race only and candidates seeking endorsements must request to be endorsed for each race separately. Primary, general and special elections are all separate races. All amendments were publicly available on the Dolphin Democrats’ webpage prior to the January 10th meeting. An announcement was made at that meeting that all candidates seeking endorsements for the upcoming Fort Lauderdale race in March had to submit their request by January 22, 2018 to be eligible for consideration at the February 21, 2018 meeting.
The bylaw amendments were approved by a 2/3 vote of the members attending the January 10th meeting. Mr. Smith voted for the bylaw amendments. Mr. Steven Glassman was the only candidate who correctly followed the bylaw endorsement process. Thus, Mr. Glassman was the only candidate eligible for the endorsement vote at the February 21st meeting.
Although Mr. Smith was not endorsed, his contributions to the organization and the LGBTA community should not be diminished. We wish Mr. Smith luck in his campaign and hope we may continue to receive his long-standing support in the future.
Thank you,
Scott Herman
President of the Dolphin Democrats
For Immediate Release
Dolphin Democrats Determine Tim Smith Not Eligible for Endorsement
There are questions as to why Tim Smith was not on the endorsement ballot at the February 21, 2018 meeting. Mr. Smith submitted an endorsement request for the January Fort Lauderdale Primary Race for District 2. At the December 2017 General Membership Meeting, candidates Tim Smith, Steven Glassman, Chad Maxey, and George Castrataro were considered for an endorsement by the organization. Endorsements require a 2/3 vote of the members attending the meeting. After two rounds of voting, no candidates for this race received the required 2/3 vote. Therefore, no endorsements were granted for that race.
At the next meeting in January, the Dolphin Democrats’ bylaws were amended to state that candidate endorsements are made for one race only. Candidates seeking endorsements must request one for each race separately. All the draft amendments were made available to the public on the Dolphin Democrats’ webpage prior to the meeting. The bylaw amendments were approved by a 2/3 vote of the members attending the meeting. Mr. Smith attended that meeting and voted for the bylaw amendments.
An announcement was made at the same meeting that all candidates seeking endorsements for the upcoming Fort Lauderdale General Election race in March had to submit their request by January 22, 2018 to be eligible for consideration at the February 21, 2018 meeting. The only candidate who submitted their endorsement request by the deadline was Mr. Steven Glassman. Therefore, Mr. Glassman was the only candidate eligible for the endorsement vote at the February 21st meeting.
It is unfortunate that Mr. Smith did not submit his endorsement request by the required deadline, but that should not diminish his contributions to the organization and the LGBTA community. Just because he did not receive an endorsement from this organization, does not preclude members from voting for him. Our bylaws state that all members of the Dolphin Democrats are free to support any registered Democrat who is a candidate in any way they so choose, so long as they do so as individuals and not identifying as members, board members and/or Officers of The Dolphin Democrats. We wish Mr. Smith luck in his campaign and hope we may continue to receive his long standing support in the future.
February 23, 2018
For Immediate Release
Dolphin Democrats Endorse Steven Glassman for Fort Lauderdale City Commission District 2 Race.
Members of the Dolphin Democrats voted to endorse Steven Glassman for Fort Lauderdale City Commissioner during the Club’s Annual Meeting February 21. The openly gay Mr. Glassman is one of two candidates running for City Commission District 2 in the March 13 General Election race. If elected, he will represent District 2, the seat currently held by Dean Trantalis (now running for Mayor).
Mr. Glassman, a former educator and former county cultural affairs administrator, has been a member of the Dolphin Democrats for 10 years. He has volunteered his time advocating for LGBTA equality by marching in rallies to defeat anti-LGBTA legislation and testifying on LGBTA issues that have come up before the Fort Lauderdale City Commission. His support for Safe Schools, Marriage Equality, Diversity Training, Non-Discrimination Policies, and Transgender Equality is unwavering and important to all members of the Dolphin Democrats and the LGBTA community.
In addition to being a strong supporter of the LGBTA community, Mr. Glassman is a long time civic activist with 20 years of experience in the City of Fort Lauderdale. Having served on various City and County Boards and Committees and President of the Central Beach Alliance for seven years, he truly reflects what it means to be active and engaged in his community. It is for these reasons, the Dolphin Democrats endorse Mr. Steven Glassman for the Fort Lauderdale City Commission District 2 race.
The Dolphin Democrats’ Board Directors have updated and unanimously accepted and approved all proposed changes to the current bylaws. In order for these updated to become effective, the General Membership will have to vote at our next meeting, on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
We encourage all members to review all the information provided in the 3 links below. We will be answering any questions or concerns at the meeting.
CURRENT BYLAWS
BOARD APPROVED BYLAWS – RED LINED VERSION
Dolphin Democrats Bylaws RED LINED VERSION
BOARD APPROVED BYLAWS – FINAL CLEAN VERSION
Effective today, December 5, 2017, the President of the Dolphin Democrats, Mr. Scott Herman, has appointed John Murdock to the vacant Director’s position. John’s appointment will stand for election at the January 10, 2018, General Membership meeting.
This Director position terms out February, 2019. Members in good standing are encouraged to run for this position. Nominations can be emailed at [email protected]. In addition, we will be taking floor nominations at the January meeting and voting if quorum is met.
OFFICIAL NOTICE:
The Dolphin Democrats will hold elections on February 21, 2018. There will be 5 Directors of the Board positions up for election, with terms expiring February, 2020
According to the Bylaws, all members who would like to be a candidate, vote, or participate in this election, must renew their 2018 membership, or join the Dolphin Democrats 45 days prior to the election. Sunday, January 7, 2018 – 11:59PM EST.
We encourage all members to renew their membership online.
Members who prefer to pay dues by check via mail, must allow enough time for checks to arrive and funds to clear. Dues are considered paid only when the check has cleared. Please consider all deadlines before mailing a check.
All members who would like to be a candidate, and would like their candidacy to be announced at the January 2018 General Membership Meeting, are encouraged to email a picture and brief bio to [email protected] by December 31, 2017.
We will also accept floor nominations at the January and February Meetings.
All eligible candidates who would like to have their name printed on the election ballot must send their information no later than 5:00PM EST on Friday, February 11, 2018
For questions please contact [email protected]
The Nominating & Election Committe
Official Notice: Endorsement Requests Received – Municipal Primary Election – Tuesday, January 16, 2018
As per the bylaws, the deadline for any candidate requesting endorsement from the Dolphin Democrats in the next Municipal Primary Election has officially ended. The Campaign Committee has received endorsement questionnaires from several candidates and they have been delivered to the President and Secretary of the Dolphin Democrats. We have also received written requests of endorsement of candidates from members in good standing. All this information will be circulated by the President and/or Secretary the the general membership at least 10 days prior to the December General Membership Meeting on 12/13/2017
The Campaign Committee
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All Democratic candidates who would like to be endorsed by The Dolphin Democrats must submit this Municipal-Candidate-Questionnaire-2018 no later than Friday, November 24, 2017 – 11:59PM EST (At least 20 days prior to out December General Membership Meeting*
A written request from a member in good standing of The Dolphin Democrats, shall be received by the President and/or Secretary at least 20 Days (11/24/2017) prior to the next scheduled general Membership meeting.
A copy if this written request will be circulated by the President and/or Secretary to the general membership of The Dolphin Democrats at least 10 days prior the “December General Membership Meeting”*
Each registered Democrat participating in this election will be sent a copy of the request and an invitation to attend the next meeting of The Dolphin Democrats at least 10 days prior to the “December General Membership Meeting.*” Candidates who attend this meeting will be given no less than 5 minutes to address the membership in the discussion prior to the vote for no less than five (5) minutes.
For questions or comments please email [email protected]
* “December General Membership Meeting” will also be the Annual Holiday Party. Please note that the location for this meeting has changed to:
The Pride Center – Clubhouse
2040 N Dixie Hwy, Wilton Manors, FL 33305
7:00PM – 9:00PM
Paid for by the Dolphin Democrats. DolphinDems.org.
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.
Founded in 1982, the Dolphin Democrats is the oldest LGBTQ+ Political Organization in Florida.
Our goal is to educate voters, advocate for LGBTQ+ people, support our community, and elect pro-LGBTQ+ Democratic candidates.