The whole point of campaign finance reporting is to enable us, the public, to follow the money. If you're going to sell out, we at least have the right to know who bought you. We also have the right to know exactly how you've spent that money.Allentown Mayor Edwin Pawlowski has insisted his campaign finance reports are "totally transparent."
In 2007, Pawlowski paid $270, the maximum fine under our toothless elections laws, for filing a late report. He actually attempted to get away with using campaign funds for his penalty. Voting Registrar Stacy Sterner ordered Pawlowski, in March, to pay the fine out of his own pocket.
In 2008, King Edwin was even more deceptive. He filed a bogus report on October 24, 2008, falsely claiming his coffers were empty. He was ordered to amend his report and guess what? Instead of of the goose egg originally claimed, Pawlowski actually raised $101,599 in just the first ten months of 2008, nearly as much money as in 2006 and 2007 combined.
Now he's at it again. In his most recent campaign finance report, filed December 3, King Edwin was required to list expenditures, including to whom paid, the address, the date and amount. He notes a $8,000 payment, on election day, to "misc. canvassers for election day." He refuses to identify the persons paid or where they reside. He describes the expenditure as "money to pay election day canvassers & workers."
Who are these canvassers? ACORN? SEIU? We have a right to know. If he can list his babysitting expenses, he can identify the people he's hired to work on election day.
Looks like it's time for another call to the voting registrar.
9 comments:
I'm shocked. The man is a graduate of the Moody Bible College.
VOR
Bernie -
Without the proper documentation, why should we assume that the money went to "election day canvassers and workers".
Was the Mayor actually paying people to go out and vote?
Also if these people were paid they should all be getting a 1099 if they made over a certain amount. I imagine that that won't be happening either.
Here's a great example of lousy the system is. Pawlowksi is out on election day handing out cash from his campaign war chest and the only supervisory enforcement is some blogger from Nazareth. Thank goodness for bloggers, imagine what slimy politicians like Pawlowski would try to get away with.
For the public to trust the system, Pawlowksi has to provide those names or else maybe he paid himself the money. I would not put it past him.
1099's are only required if the person got $600 or more. Keep it under that and you can coast.
Let,s face it Mr. Pawlowski will remain mayor as long as he wants.Anyone who follows L.V. news knows this.
Allentown mayor can go more than 8 years right? Mayor Heydt was mayor for 12, 1990-2002, But the rumor I'm hearing is that Pawlowski wants to run for a higher office after this term. What a joke that would be, and I'm guessing Michael D'Amore would run for mayor to replace Pawlowski. This city is going to hell if it isnt there already...
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