NAACP: Incumbent's flier misleads public: The NAACP said Thursday that a Lauderdale Lakes commissioner's flier gives the false impression that the civil rights organization is endorsing him in the.

Byline: Darran Simon

Mar. 10--Lauderdale Lakes incumbent David Shomers says his mention of the NAACP on a campaign flier was innocuous, but he has gotten a stern rebuke from the civil rights group. Shomers, 63, who was first elected to the Lauderdale Lakes City Commission in 1996, listed several organizations he belonged to, including the NAACP, on a piece of campaign literature. The flier does not say that he was endorsed by the group, but the NAACP maintains its wording is misleading.

Fort Lauderdale NAACP President Marsha Ellison said Shomers' flier was "cleverly written," and members called to say they were "shocked " the NAACP was backing Shomers. "We would not endorse him or anyone else," Ellison said, adding that the organization is nonprofit and nonpartisan. Shomers is the only white commissioner representing the city. His opponent, Gloria A. Lewis, who ran unsuccessfully in 2002 and 2004, is black. Figures from the 2000 U.S. Census show that more than two out of three Lauderdale Lakes residents are black, including many with Caribbean roots. Shomers said the issue is simply last-minute maneuvering by his opponent. "I ...