Primary Election 2020 Results

The official primary election was Tuesday, August 18. Here are the democrats who were elected to lead us. It’s not over yet, the Democrats have to Battle republicans for some seats.

U.S. House District 20
Democrat Alcee Hastings won his 15th term in the spot. Hastings is 83 and is one of the first African Americans from Florida to be elected to Congress.

State Senate District 33
Democrat Perry Thurston, JD is a Pompano Beach Senior High graduate, class of 1978. He is a public defender focused on criminal justice reform, including changing the correctional system, courtroom diversity, and statewide bans on questionable law enforcement tactics, like choke-hold and no-knock entries. He is also critical of Governor Ron DeSantis’ handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Broward Clerk of Courts
Democrat Brenda D. Forman won re-election. The Forman family has a long history in this position. Her husband, Howard Forman, was clerk for 16 years. She’s a licensed realtor and a member of the National Council of Negro Women.

Broward Public Defender
Democrat Gordon Weekes replaced long-time defender Howard Finkelstein. You may know him from “Help Me Howard” of Channel 7. Weekes has a record of fighting the “war on drugs” and equal justice.

Broward County Sheriff
Democrat Gregory Tony Broward County Sheriff won in a hotly contested race, beating former sheriff Scott Israel. Sheriff Tony had been called a racist name by a member of Israel’s camp. Tony also had a vote of no confidence by several police unions.

Broward State Attorney
Democrat Harold Fernandez Pryor is a young leader and a member of the Young Professional Network of the Urban League of Broward County. He plans to work against the school-to-prison pipeline and racial disparities in sentencing.

Broward County Supervisor of Elections
Democrat Joe Scott plans to keep future elections safe with his expertise in cyber security and digital and printing equipment. He is proud that his grandmother was the first Black woman to vote in Wilcox County, Alabama. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Broward County Commissioner District 7
Democrat Timothy “Tim” M. Ryan will work to create higher paying jobs and more skilled-trade opportunities within the County. He also supports expanding mass transit and helping to ensure that our County can overcome the challenges presented by climate change and sea level rise.

Broward County Commissioner
District 9
Democrat Dale V.C. Holness is a former Lauderhill City Commissioner and incumbent for the County Commissioner seat. He is a big supporter of small businesses and plans to use his time in office to help rebuild the economy after COVID-19 and combat racial inequity.

Broward County School Board
District 3
Sarah Leonardi is the 2016 Teacher of the Year at Coconut Creek High School. Her biggest priorities are reopening schools, building trust between stakeholders, and updating old schoolhouse buildings.

Broward County School Board
At-Large District 9
Debra Hixon began her teaching career as a swimming coach and science teacher at Blanche Ey High School. The loss of her husband during the Marjory Stoneman Douglas led her to this position.

Circuit Judge, Broward County, Group 16
George Odom Jr. is an attorney in Pompano Beach focusing on family, personal injury, and criminal law. He is a mentor at Dillard High School and part of the 100 Black Men of Greater Fort Lauderdale. He’s a retired Marine and prides himself on honor and courage. He will work to ensure better access to courts and diversity on the bench.

Circuit Judge, Broward County, Group 18
Patti Englander Henning is a distinguished judge that would like increase jurors’ pay and establish remote jury trials.

Circuit Judge, Broward County, Group 27
Frank David Ledee is a criminal justice expert known for his initiatives to reduce gun violence, including anti-gang strategies and active shooter protocols. He’s prosecuted hundreds of people for murder, burglary, aggravated assault, child abuse, and trafficking.

Circuit Judge, Broward County, Group 30
Dale C. Cohen has served the court for 14 years. He vows to keep the judicial branch independent and focused on justice, not politics.

Circuit Judge, Broward County, Group 50
Linda A. Alley is an attorney who mostly works with civil cases dealing with medical negligence. During her term, she wants to ensure that the court protects our society and government.

Broward County Court Judge, Group 22
Allison Gilman is a attorney focusing mostly on traffic tickets. As judge, she plans to help people who are unaware of their rights understand the options available to them.

Broward County Court Judge, Group 27
Phoebee Rebecca Francois is keeping her seat as judge. She has handled a variety of court cases, including civil, criminal, foreclosure, employment, landlord tenant, and small claims. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Caribbean Bar Association.

Broward County Court Judge, Group 31
Natasha DePrimo will keep her seat. As part of her duties, she plans to implement innovative technologies to assist with virtual courtroom cases.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5.

This story originally appeared in the print issue of Villij News on Sept. 3, 2020