Jack Seiler

John P. "Jack" Seiler
41st Mayor of Fort Lauderdale
Assumed office
March 17, 2009
Preceded by Jim Naugle
Member of the Florida House of Representatives
from the 92nd district
In office
January 2001 – January 2009
Preceded by Tracy Stafford
Succeeded by Gwyndolen Clarke-Reed
Mayor of Wilton Manors
In office
1998–2000
Preceded by ???
Succeeded by John Fiore
Personal details
Born (1963-05-27) May 27, 1963
Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse(s) Susan Rimes
Children Marianna
Jacqueline
Preston
Susanne
Alma mater University of Notre Dame
University of Miami
Religion Roman Catholicism

John P. "Jack" Seiler (born May 27, 1963) is an American politician and Mayor of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Prior to this he was a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, from 2000 to 2008 representing District 92 which is located in Broward County, Florida.[1][2] He served as mayor, vice mayor and city council member of Wilton Manors, Florida from 1993 to 2000.[1]

Seiler was a candidate to succeed term-limited[3] Jim Naugle in the 2009 mayoral election for Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was elected February 10, 2009, winning against three opponents with more than 57 percent of the vote,[4] avoiding a run-off election.[5] Analysis of the race suggests Seiler won because of high name recognition and strong fundraising[3] which exceeded $250,000.[6] Seiler was sworn in March 17, 2009.[7] On January 31, 2012, Seiler was reelected with 75.03% of the vote in a three-way race.[8]

Mayor of Fort Lauderdale

Homeless initiatives

In November 2014, Seiler received nationwide attention;[9] reports that Arnold Abbott, a 90-year-old World War II veteran had been arrested for feeding the homeless in public, in Fort Lauderdale went viral. The New York Times reports that "Fort Lauderdale, despite a reputation for being more progressive than most Florida cities on homelessness, passed a series of measures that surprised and drew the ire of homeless activists." The measure further restricting food distribution in public places loosened restrictions on feeding in private or religious buildings. Other new measures tightened restrictions on panhandling, having property and sleeping in public, but the Mayor says his city is not harsh on homeless people, reported the Times. While video available on YouTube shows Arnold Abbott and ministers being taken away in police custody, the Mayor states that Mr Arnold had not been arrested, but rather was detained, cited, and ordered to appear in court.[10][11] Those cited face possible jail time and have taken the city to court to fight the ordinance.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 "Rep. John P. "Jack" Seiler". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  2. ↑ Lyons, Doug (2007-07-02). "Who will succeed Jack Seiler?". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-02-11. ("Next year will be state Rep. Jack Seiler's last year in the Florida House ...")
  3. 1 2 Sherman, Amy (2009-02-11). "Jack Seiler wins race for Fort Lauderdale mayor". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  4. ↑ Man, Anthony (2009-02-10). "Jack Seiler, Fort Lauderdale's new mayor: "It feels great"". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  5. ↑ Wallman, Brittany (2009-02-10). "Seiler crushes opponents in Ft. Lauderdale mayoral win, Rodstrom will get second term". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  6. ↑ Wallman, Brittany (2009-02-09). "Jack Seiler tops $250,000 in contributions for Lauderdale mayor's race". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  7. ↑ Sherman, Amy (2009-03-17). "Fort Lauderdale commission swearing-in marks changing of the guard". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  8. ↑ "Presidential Preference Primary and Municipal Elections: 1/31/2012". Broward Country Supervisor of Elections. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  9. ↑ http://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=%2Fm%2F05h338g
  10. ↑ http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/11/06/3589693/ft-lauderdale-arrest-feeding-homeless/
  11. ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/13/us/florida-finds-tricky-balance-over-feeding-of-the-homeless.html?_r=0
  12. ↑ http://edition.cnn.com/2014/11/04/justice/florida-feeding-homeless-charges/
Political offices
Preceded by
Jim Naugle		 Mayor of Fort Lauderdale
2009–present 		Incumbent
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 1/13/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.