Ken Keechl - A New Low Even for Democrats

Keechl’s Despicable Tactics Disgrace Our County – Although They Do Hide His Kickbacks

When an embattled commissioner who’s been called to the floor for finding a legal, albeit far from ethical, way of pocketing campaign donations plasters his opponent’s face onto an orange jumpsuit, you know that the bar has been lowered, even by the standards of Broward politics.

Ken Keechl’s Goebbelsesque attack on Chip LaMarca, a city commissioner with a record of public service in the district, goes far beyond shameful. It should anger every decent person in the county.

As Republicans, we disagree with many Democrats on the County Commission, including Lois Wexler, Ilene Lieberman, Kristin Jacobs and others. No one, however, questions their dedication to public service. Stacy Ritter, even in her highly partisan manner, remains decent and stays on the issues.

Not so Ken Keechl.

In an act of desperation, Keechl’s campaign consultants, with the full knowledge of Ken Keechl, doctored a photo of his far better opponent, Chip LaMarca, placing his face from a campaign photo onto the body of a man in an orange jumpsuit! They photoshopped bars onto the final product for good measure. Then in an act befitting a three year old, Keechl also changed his opponent’s name to denote something sinister.

Below the desperate photoshopping is a sad rendition of wild accusations that were news to Chip, to law enforcement, indeed to the entire county. Looks like Keech has been hitting the crystal meth a bit too hard.

The facts speak for themselves. LaMarca has never so much as been charged with a felony! What Keechl did was an unprovoked and unwarranted attack on a city commissioner, a public servant with a long and proud record of public service and a charitable man who serves on the boards of many local nonprofits - not to mention a fellow constituent of the district that Keechl is supposed to be representing.

Chip’s had a rough year. His 20 year old nephew was killed in an accident a few months ago. His longtime family dog passed away six months ago. But I can only imagine the shock and horror of having a clearly fake photo of him in an orange jumpsuit sent out to all of his constituents, friends, family and voters who he doesn’t even know. Does Keechl not realize that many voters will look at the clearly doctors photos for all of 2 seconds, not recognize the Willie Horton silhouette imagery placed around Chip’s face and think that those are actual photos? Of course he does. He’s counting on it!

Chip LaMarca deserves better. And Broward County deserves Chip LaMarca.

But it gets better.

Ken’s actions aren’t illegal, but they are unethical and anyone who votes to reward him with another term has to question why.

While Chip’s done nothing unethical, the same cannot be said of Kenneth “Kickback” Keechl.

To be sure, Kickback Ken did nothing illegal. He simply paid himself $3,100 a month in rent for campaign space every month since Jan. 2009. Paying yourself rent from campaign donations isn’t a crime. But it is unethical. It doesn’t warrant a second term.

Maybe such actions will help Keechl make a run for Property Appraiser offering “innovative solutions to make money in a down real estate market” but they make him wholly unfit to be a county commissioner.

And that’s not all. Keechl also took $13,000 in trips, all paid for from campaign donations. Again, not illegal. Each trip did involve a few meetings with some potential donors. But that wasn’t the purpose of the trip and it’s just an easy way of legally bilking the system.

Not illegal, but you’d have to be dumber than a doornail to vote to reelect him.

Keechl’s defense – “He hasn’t even made back the money he spent on getting elected in ’06.” Is that why you ran for office Ken?

The Real Truth – Keechl Fiddles As Broward Burns, LaMarca Offers Tangible Economic Solutions

Chip LaMarca’s even stayed away from Kickbackgate.

He’s proposed real and tangible solutions. He’s the only County-level candidate this cycle to propose a real solution for jobs and for the economy.

Chip’s a non-ideologue and leaves Keechl nothing to run on other than doctored photos, lies and smears. That and cricket chirps when it comes to real issues of substance.

Doctoring Photos a Disgraceful Art Form That Shames the County – Call it a “Keechl Special”

It doesn’t matter if the issue is euthanizing harmless pets or running for a second term. Ken Keechl uses faked photography to corrupt the argument and to win at any cost.

He did this a few months ago when outraged pet owners protested Keechl’s “one bite” law, a law that euthanizes pets even if they were attacked by smaller dogs. At that time, owners of pets that were unfairly entrapped by that law showed pictures of their loving pets to the public and to the media.

Common sense dictated that Keechl’s “one bite law,” enacted after his own little dog started with a larger one – and escaped, was not only unfair, but that its implementation would prevent families from moving to Broward. Keechl was desperate. So, instead of admitting error, he went on the airwaves with gruesome pictures of dead dogs. Problem is, those pictures weren’t of the dogs in question or even representative of the attacks.

I don’t use the term “Goebbelsesque” lightly. Joseph Goebbels incited genocide with his use of doctored imagery. He destroyed millions.

But Ken Keechl’s use of doctored imagery destroys individuals.

No one should have to put up with a fake photo of themselves in an orange jumpsuit mailed directly to tens of thousands of people in their neighborhood. Chip deserves a medal of honor for running against the corrupt Keechl machine, not a second helping of Keechl’s vicious smears.

Upset? Disheartened?

Disgusted?

You should be. Now do something about it!

Vote for Chip Leadership LaMarca (how’s that for a namegame, Ken?), forward this important email and have your friends do the same.