He may be a political genius.But he's also the king of sleazeball politics.
That's Tom Severson, whose Precision Marketing Inc., is just one of the companies he uses to launch smear campaigns. His company motto - "It's time to play hardball. Precision Marketing Inc. -- when you want to play to win."
Severson is the first person locally to overlay US Census and other available data sources with voter files and phone records to create some very good targeted voter lists. He maximizes the impact of mailings and call centers. He simply destroys those without these abilities.
He didn't do this on his own. He's a logo watch salesman. But someone who understood computers partnered with Severson. And life was good. By 1991, Severson and partner Jim Corsa were grossing $750,000. Then Tom got sneaky and greedy. He accepted clients behind his partner's back, including a three-year deal with state senate republicans, valued at $627,000. Corsa sued, and Severson eventually settled the claim.
Another tactic Severson introduced to the Lehigh Valley was push polling, the use of anonymous phone calls to cast a candidate in a bad light. That's what he did to Jerry Seyfried in 1989.
Those tactics are criticized by former Norco Councilman Jim Hemstreet. "If telephone calls are being made ... you have a right to know who you're talking to, what they're paid ... .That is really deceptive campaigning. It's like turning your campaign over to a hired gun."
Another Severson trait is a total lack of allegiance. He sells out to the highest bidder. He has big state republican contracts, and when he polls, he'll drop in a question for one of his local candidates, who gets a discount. Since his inhouse call center and mailing house are funded by the state republicans, local republicans get upset when he runs campaigns against them.
He'll poll to pick winners, and then works for those already ahead. His favorite tactic is to bash his opponent with a smear campaign. Here's a few examples of Severson patterns over the years.
1989 - L. Jack Bradt was far behind Jerry Seyfried in the polls. But the week before the election, anonymous telephone calls rang through the Lehigh Valley, painting Seyfried as a Chrin lackey. Jerry still managed to win, but by fewer than fewer than 700 votes. Bradt paid Precision Marketing over $61,000. Cha ching.
1991 - John Morganelli spent $32,169 with Severson to oust three-term incumbent Don Corriere. During that campaign, Corriere charged that Severson used phone solicitors posing as reps of the state ethics commission.
1992 - After Congressman Don Ritter inceremoniously dumps Severson as a campaign consultant, Severson goes to work for challenger Paul McHale.
1993 - Jerry Seyfried uses Severson for his re-election bid, even though Severson worked against him in the last campaign. This time, Jerry loses.
1998 - Mudslinging is rampant in a GOP primary for a state house seat between Dave Bausch and Rima Fahl. That Severson name pops up.
2006 - In a primary race for state rep., Joe Brennan is viciously slammed in a postcard attack as a "criminal who can't be trusted." Brennan blames Severson for the slime campaign. Opponent Rybak admits using Severson, but no payments are ever listed on Rybak's campaign finance reports.
2006 - Severson's Precision Marketing rakes in a whopping $1,397,868.88 from candidates seeking state office. Much of this comes from the state republican committee. Amazingly, this figure does not include local or out-of-state races, or payments made to Severson's other companies.
2007 - Severson's Precision Marketing paid $67,000 by Bucks County taxpayers for a mailing from Bucks County commissioners right before the election.
So what do local pols think of this guy? I'll tell you later this week.
Bloggers note: Factual averments not directly linked were obtained from Morning Call archives.
