I had fully intended to start an analysis of local campaign finance reports today. It will have to wait until tomorrow. On Wednesday, I had a lengthy visit with my dentist From there, I was directed to go home and was even offered pain pills. But I laughed in the dentist's face. "I'm a bottom-feeding blogger, and I bring the pain," I shouted as he dialed 911 and his secretaries hid under their desks. Well, I did make it to the courthouse eventually. But was too late to look at campaign finance reports. I'll do that today. I'mknocking off a little early tonight to get some extra sleep. Hope you don't mind.
The Morning Call's Emily Opilo has a story about the money raised in the Allentown Mayoral race, but I want lots more details. How does Sam Bennett manage to dig an $83,000 hole so quickly? Who donated to Fed Ed, if anyone? What developer is that stupid? Who are the lawyers he paid?
You can examine Allentown campaign finance reports here, Bethlehem campaign finance reports here, and Lehigh County's here. Northampton County,which refuses to post the official email addresses of its council members, stopped publishing the campaign finance reports of county candidates. You have to physically visit the elections office to see why Council members like Seth Vaughn are so arrogant that they think they can skip important meetings without repercussion.
If you are familiar with any of these online reports, please feel free to share your observations here.This kind of participatory journalism makes for a better story.
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Thursday, February 02, 2017
22 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
So, it looks like Scam Bennett is using this mayor's campaign to pay off "debts" to herself from her Congressional campaign. Is that even legal? Also, it looks like she got one person to donate tens of thousands to her that she is using to pay her "debts" to herself and her husband. One scam on top of another.
ReplyDeleteWhy is an innocent man, "Fed Ed", need $175,000 to defend himself and he is not even indicted? But we now know the First Lady of Allentown is also in trouble! It is amazing what these campaign reports tell you.
ReplyDeleteBernie,
ReplyDeleteMy question will be, is how will the collectors of Allentowns head count insurable perils be funneling monies to said accounts via third party to boil3? Than I would have the question as to this anonymous donation tactik and if purchased mouthpices are even compariable to said amounts as a purchasing issue to be raised at a later date?
Let the games begin as stoning's on public venue's shall be compairable to the national venue but not as widely publisiZed!
REpublican redd
humanist by design
Bernie - Sam here. Just want to clarify a few items. 1) the $81,000 is the cumulative amount loaned by my husband and I to previous Mayoral primaries: 2001 (losing by 46 votes to Roy Afflerbach) and 2005 (losing by 300 votes to Ed Pawlowski). Because we kept our committee open over past 16 years for this final run for elected office - that $81,000 following state election law, carries forward - with no obligation to repay. There was no debt in my 2008 US Congressional race which was filed with FEC, as federal election law requires.
ReplyDeleteSo, I have a question. Does campaign money like this just sit in an account idle for 16 years, or is it in an interest-bearing account? If so, are the interest earnings on the account taxable?
ReplyDeleteLast time I heard about Sam Bennett, she had chained herself to that fence on 17th Street in Allentown and vowed to make the bulldozer run over her if "they" went ahead and knocked that building down. Which "they" did, knock the building down. So the obvious questions are : just how did Sam Bennett survive being run over by a bulldozer and why wasn't that event mentioned in the local Morning Call newspaper?
ReplyDeleteDamn, if I loaned my campaigns 81K, (how much for a congressional run?) And I didn't win, I would look for a new hobby. Just my 2 cents, but God Bless.
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm interesting!
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/emilyopilo/status/827196962873163781/photo/1
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Bernie you got Scam Bennett to state, in writing, why she is actually running for mayor of Allentown. Scam Bennett says she "has no obligation to repay" her debts to herself and her husband from previous mayoral races BUT, if you read her report, it shows that she IS paying herself and her husband back thousands of dollars from her current campaign. Betting this won't be her "final run" if she doesn't scam enough money from victime to completely pay off her past debts. She obviously couldn't pay it off by renting out rooms in her house (sorry, "The Historic Benner Mansion").
ReplyDelete1) Sam has the straightforward courage to go on as herself. While you Ed go one anonymously. 2) Sam and her husband invested their own hard earned personal dollars in the future of our city - just like what must have been the hundreds of thousands of personal dollars they invested in restoring the foreclosed on, boarded up - no working plumbing/electricity of the Historic Benner Mansion. 3) hilarious you, Fed Ed, call this hard working businesswoman who has done nothing but invest in her city Scam Bennett - its sexist and offensive. Knock it off.
ReplyDeleteBernie - just finishing post of yesterday 2) All of my past 16 years of Mayoral Race filings are posted as PDFs on www.SamBennett.info so anyone can see exactly who donated and how much in my 2001 and 2005 races. Soon we'll have 2016 end of year also posted. State election law requires only donors who have given $60.00 and above to be reported - so our almost 100 donors to date for the 2017 Mayors Race - most of whom give $5, $10 monthly - are listed on our website on our "Donate" page. Exceptional transparency is our goal. 3) I've been very fortunate to have donors who have invested more substantial amounts early on to get my campaign's launch in a professional and effective manner. In 2001, Dan Poresky - founder of Dan's Camera City. In 2005, my retired Naval Commander uncle Alfred "Drew" Loizeaux. In 2016, the nationally highly regarded Dr Bayard Storey of UPenn Wharton - intent on seeing the "best possible leadership in the Mayor's Office in the third largest and fastest growing city in our Commonwealth."
ReplyDeleteOkay, so THAT'S a LIE too. I just went to her page and there are NO campaign reports posted.
ReplyDeleteGoing form Fed ED to Scam Bennett is literally going form the frying pan into the fire.
ReplyDeleteShe is just a female version of FedEd just a whole lot shadier.
Does "the nationally highly regarded Dr Bayard Storey of UPenn Wharton" that you have already scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars know how much you are stuffing into your own pockets? Maybe he should read your past reports and see how he is subsidizing your lifestyle and paying off debts from your past failed campaigns. Wonder if he would let you continue picking his pocket.
ReplyDeletehttps://sambennett.info/meet-sam/vision-for-allentown/best-political-practices/ Somebody can't operate within a website.
ReplyDeleteJennifer how's tobacco going?
ReplyDeleteYeah let's talk about how much money Charlie Thiel got from Pawlowski's PAC
ReplyDeleteBernie - Final post on this topic. 1) For those who are a bit technologically challenged - here is link to view all past 16 Mayoral financial filings on our website. This information has been available since last June 2016 when we announced https://sambennett.info/meet-sam/vision-for-allentown/best-political-practices/
ReplyDelete2) and here's link to listing if all donors to date to campaign including the many whose have given under the $60 state election law reporting threshold https://sambennett.info/donate
I followed Scam's link. This is the message I got:
ReplyDeleteOops!
That page couldn't be found.
Error code:404
Scam Bennett still lying.Or maybe she can't get her web site right?
The link works fine. You are going to be deleted at this point.
ReplyDeleteI find this very interesting as well since its obvious that Sam has set a new standard here. This time She has raised a hell of alot of money early on from outside the usual circle of local mover and shakers of contractors,developers,consultants,lawyers and businesses who tend to benefit later on from city contracts. So far not even union money. This could turn out to be a very interesting race as it unfolds. Waiting to see how the other candidates roll out their campaigns in this new political climate.
ReplyDelete