The Ken Keechl Guide to Making Your Campaign Dollars Count

The endorsement for Keechl was page-one material for the Harbor News.

​When you make a donation to the campaign of Broward County Mayor Ken Keechl, you know that money will be well-spent. And I'm not just talking about the $3,100 per month that goes from the campaign account straight into the pocket of Keechl, who uses it to pay above-market rent on the home that doubles as a campaign headquarters.

Rather, I'm talking about the $250 that it costs to place a full-page advertisement in the Harbor News, a community newsletter published by the shrewd and politically calculating Steve Kelley.

Judging by the page-one endorsement Keechl landed in the same issue, it looks like he got his money's worth, didn't he?

Now I'm not saying that this is a quid pro quo -- although that was certainly one of the questions I was prepared to ask Kelley, had he returned my call today.

No, there may have been other factors that led to the endorsement. For instance, Keechl's having volunteered to write a regular "update" to residents of his fourth district. That helps Kelley to provide editorial content, and it helps Keechl get free advertising.

Of course, Kelley was kind enough to not mention that little scandal about Keechl's misuse of campaign dollars.