Nov 6, 2008 11:25 am US/Eastern
Votes Still Being Counted For Broward Sheriff
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FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4) ―
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As of Thursday morning, Al Lamberti maintained a slim lead over challenger Scott Israel in the race for Broward Sheriff.
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Broward residents should know by Thursday evening if there is a new sheriff in town.
Votes are still being counted for Sheriff Al Lamberti (R) and challenger Scott Israel (D). As of Thursday morning Lamberti had 51 percent of the vote, Israel had 49 percent, with only 92 hundred votes separating the candidates.
Absentee, provisional and overseas ballots continue to be processed for tabulation. The Broward Canvassing Board will canvass these ballots in its meeting on Friday at 1:30 p.m.
Broward Election Supervisor Brenda Snipes told
CBS4 Reporter Peter D'Oench there is always the possibility of a recount.
"We have to hit a certain percentage point," she said, "if we reach a half a percentage point difference between the two candidates, then that's a signal for an automatic recount."
Lamberti has been cautiously optimistic over his lead with Israel. At a picnic for retired FBI agents in Sunrise, he explained there's still a lot of unfinished business.
He said, "I think I want to prove it's not about Al Lamberti, it's all about helping the people of Broward County."
The race for Broward Sheriff was one of the biggest on the ballot in Broward County between two men with 30 years of law enforcement service.
Lamberti was appointed sheriff by Gov. Charlie Crist last year after Ken Jenne resigned amid corruption charges and it's a race that turned nasty.
The powerful position of Sheriff brings an enormous workload. The Sheriff's Office has more than 6-thousand employees and a budget of nearly $700 million. Lamberti charged Israel does not have the experience to run the agency.
Israel countered that he has experience, as police chief in North Bay Village and as a high ranking officer with Ft. Lauderdale Police.
Lamberti is the only Republican to currently hold a countywide office in Broward, where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2 to 1.
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