Lisa and Angelo Castillo both BSO employees?

[Unregistered]

Where have you been, were you just hired here at BSO. Old news and no news. Off on the salaries as well.

Here's one article:
http://www.local10.com/news/sheriff-...51127115147785

Sheriff Scott Israel makes new hires to 'connect with community'
11 'specialists,' 'liaisons' hired, several with political ties to sheriff
By Bob Norman - Investigative Reporter


FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - It's a special Broward Sheriff Office's unit that has nothing to do with fighting crime -- it's all about community, and it's expanded under Sheriff Scott Israel.

"It's about connecting with the community," said Israel.

Since his election in January, Israel has hired at least 11 community "liaisons" or "specialists" at BSO at a cost to taxpayers of more than $1 million in salary and benefits.

"These are liaison positions and these are people that are not only familiar with the community, but love the community," Israel said.

Special section: Local 10 Investigates

But one of those hires, at an annual $45,000 salary, is a freelance reporter named Mike Colapietro. He's from New York, and his only tie to Broward appears to be that he co-wrote a book with political dirty trickster Roger Stone, who strongly backed Israel this past election season. The recently published book is a conspiratorial tale alleging that Lyndon Baines Johnson killed John F. Kennedy.

When asked about Colapietro, Israel said he didn't know who he was.

"So you weren't aware that Roger Stone's associate was hired for this position?" asked Local 10's Bob Norman.

"I might have been aware a person was hired," answered Israel. "Whether the person is an associate of Roger Stone (pictured, right, at a gay pride parade in New York) or not, I wouldn't necessarily know."

Colapietro is at least the second associate of Stone, the former political director of Ponzi schemer Scott Rothstein, hired by BSO since Israel took office.

Stone's long-time assistant, Dianne Thorne, was also hired as a "community specialist" at a salary of $60,000 a year. Thorne was the founder of the so-called "Miami Tea Party," which smeared Israel's opponents in the last election with misleading robo-calls. The Australian-born Thorne lives in Miami.

Stone, who started his political career conducting dirty tricks for Richard Nixon (and has a large tattoo of Nixon on his back), helped coordinate attacks on Israel's opponents and was involved with a PAC called Taxpayers for Integrity in Government that ran attack ads against former Sheriff Al Lamberti.

Thorne's stepson, Andrew Miller, who is another of Stone's cohorts, gave $120,000 to that PAC and is now affiliated with a pro-Israel website called the Broward Bugle.

In addition to Colapietro and Thorne, other community hires at BSO have included former newspaper reporter Elgin Jones, who routinely blasted Lamberti in print, and political fundraiser Stephen Greenberger and Democratic operative Harrison Grandwilliams, who both worked on Israel's campaign. Yet another campaign contributor and supporter, Bill Thixton, was hired in January with a $77,000 salary but has since left the agency ("It just wasn't for him," said Israel).

"They're not political folks," said Israel. "They're people I've met through politics that are deeply concerned with the community and deeply concerned about having my vision and mission come to fruition."

Israel said department-wide, the total cost of his hires is $4.8 million less than the cost of those who have left the agency since his election. But the sheriff also said he may have to lay off 200 to 300 employees in the face of a $30 million-plus budget shortfall.

[b]"With these budget problems looming, why were so many people hired?"[b] asked Norman.

"I'm not playing semantics but it's not hiring," answered Israel. "It's called team building, and we've built an incredibly successful team of men and women."

"If it comes down to it, who goes first, the deputies on the street or those community affairs people?" asked Norman.

"We're not anywhere close, we're not there yet," said Israel. "I'm not thinking about who yet."

[Unregistered]

This is true! Big Ang and Lisa are indeed BSO employees! If only the taxpayers of Broward County really knew what their money was going for! Need to shut them down!

It wouldn't be a big deal if the sheriff wasn't crying poor during these DLE contract negotiations! The sheriff said in his campaign promises that road patrol was the backbone and we deserve more.

[Unregistered]

Yup, who cares about us? Ugh

[Unregistered]

You hired them because they helped you and you can do whatever you want because you are the Sheriff. You can say that.

[Unregistered]

Who cares who wrote this post you moron. We just want to know if it's true or not.

[Unregistered]

Do you know that Lisa Castillo and her husband Angelo Castillo were both hired by Scott Israel as a payback for helping his Campaigh? Do you know Lisa is the Chief of Staff of BSO and Angelo is a Director and both earn over $300,000.00 a year and both have BSO cars? How can anyone defend this political favor? The position of Chief of Staff was created for Lisa. We didn't have a Chief of Staff at BSO. We don't even know what she really do in the agency. This is incredible! This is the kind of things that the public doesn't know. I'm fed up with the turkeys giveaways while the taxpayers are giving over $300,000.00 to a single family. Where's Bob Norman and the SunSentinel? Where is Chanel 7 NEWS?

Not remotely true. Bob Norman and the Sentinel reported on this already. The COMBINED salaries of the Castillos are around $250,000. As a Chief of Staff and a Director, that total isn't really out of line (even with what past sheriffs paid).

[Unregistered]

You hired them because they helped you and you can do whatever you want because you are the Sheriff. You can say that.

Who is a sheriff going to hire for senior positions .... people who didn't support them, who hate them, people they don't know and don't trust?

[Unregistered]

Who is a sheriff going to hire for senior positions .... people who didn't support them, who hate them, people they don't know and don't trust?

You're missing the point. These are paybacks and he promised he was not going to do that. We're screwed.

[Unregistered]

With those salaries we can get at least 8 new units. This piss me off. This is why this administration needs to go. Spread the word. With the high unemployment and poverty they are paying $300,000.00 to a single family that's working for the county.

[Unregistered]

Hahaha! And he told Bob Norman he was not going to hire for political reasons?