Do you need an attorney?

BY BUDDY NEVINS

Lawyers: Be prepared to open your wallets.

State Attorney Mike Satz said he will launch his re-election campaign within weeks.

Mike Satz

So Satz will be looking for money…lots of it. He’ll be soliciting mostly attorneys.

Campaigning appears to be almost an afterthought for Satz. Our state attorney is perhaps the most non-political politician I’ve ever met, a good thing in a law enforcement official.

“We had so much going on I haven’t had time to think about it,” Satz said of his re-election.

One of his biggest concerns was the state budget. The state’s prosecutors were on Tallahassee’s hit list, when right before the session ended lawmakers gave them a reprieve.

Obviously, Satz also has been occupied by building corruption cases against politicians at the School Board, County Commission and in city halls.

Since those high profile investigations hit pay dirt, Satz looks invulnerable. Despite the constant bleating of some criminal defense lawyers, he has drawn no opposition.

If he loses a case or two, it could hurt and may encourage a challenge. Wouldn’t any courtroom setback really be the fault of the judge or the jury? That’s the way I would spin it if I was running Satz’s campaign.

In two of the corruption cases, the best Satz can hope for is probably home arrest and maybe probation.

County Commissioner Diana Wasserman-Rubin, who is in her mid-60s, is a very ill woman with advanced Parkinson’s disease. She is charged with seven counts of unlawful compensation, but even if convicted of all of them, no judge will sentence her to jail.

Former Tamarac Commissioner Marc Sultanof, who was 89 when arrested for bribery and other charges in November, will avoid jail because of his age.

Satz can still claim he uncovered wrongdoing. No one will hold it against him if a sick woman or a very old man doesn’t end up in the slammer.

This post is not a political endorsement. It is just the political facts.

Satz’s prospects never looked better.

He was always tough on violent criminals, but caught flak from some for being soft on political corruption. It can no longer be said that he ignores bad politicians.

I’ve polled a number of defense attorneys. No one can name a realistic candidate to challenge Satz, who has name ID after 35 years in office. His flak Ron Ishoy has been sending out regular news releases featuring statements from Satz to make sure that name ID stays high.

So far no one has raised an issue which would cause voters to kick him out of office.

All these factors working in favor of Satz doesn’t mean the election is over. Politics is fast moving and can change in a minute.

Meanwhile, he is running again.

Satz raised $148,078 when he was unopposed in 2008, almost all from law firms. So lawyers can expect Satz’s campaign team to begin calling their offices soon.

Govern yourselves accordingly

Closed.