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Political notes from Free Press staff writers Terri Hallenbeck, Sam Hemingway and Nancy Remsen


8.21.2008

 

Money wars

Come Monday, we will know more about the financial situation of our gubernatorial candidates. Of particular interest will be whether independent Anthony Pollina's bank account total is driving his fight not to return contributions that the Secretary of State's Office says go over the per-person limit.



By then, we might know whether the Attorney General's Office will pursue enforcement action against Pollina.



The Attorney General's Office has been sent two letters of complaint about the Pollina money situation. For your perusal:



August 20, 2008


Dear Mr. McShane,

Please consider this letter an official citizens’ complaint
regardingthe political fundraising of Anthony Pollina, a publicly
declared“independent” candidate for governor of Vermont.


As you know, the Secretary of State’s office has requested
that the Pollina campaign return all contributions of more than $1,000 inorder
to comply with what in considers to be the current law.


To date, the Pollina campaign is refusing to return the
money.As concerned citizens of the State of Vermont, we offer this citizens’
complaint regarding the fundraising actions of the Pollina campaign and its
apparent disregard for the law as interpreted by the Secretary of State’s
office.


We look forward to hearing from you.



Sincerely,



Michael Colby

BootsWardinski


And here's number two:

August 20, 2008

Mr. Michael McShane, Esq.
Assistant Attorney
General
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609-1001


RE: Complaint Against Anthony Pollina and "Pollina for
Governor"


Dear Attorney McShane:

I am writing to lodge a complaint and request that your
office take action in investigating and prosecuting, as appropriate, violations
of Vermont’s campaign finance law by Mr. Anthony Pollina and/or his campaign
entity, "Pollina for Governor."


Specifically, as you are aware and has been widely
reported in the press, Mr. Pollina has accepted individual contributions in
excess of the limits the Vermont Attorney General and Secretary of State have
determined are legally permissible. The first public response of Mr. Pollina was
that he did not understand the law and did not intentionally violate those
restrictions.


However, it is now reported in the media that rather than
return the "overage" funds, Mr. Pollina, through his campaign entity, is now
attempting to either go around or ignore Vermont’s campaign finance laws. The
Rutland Herald reported on August 19 and 20, 2008, as follows:


"We're not giving any money back," Meg Brook, Pollina's
campaign manager, said Tuesday. Brook argued that the donations don't violate
the law.


In addition, it was reported on WCAX that Mr. Pollina and
his campaign entity are encouraging the donors who made what are now illegal
contributions to simply funnel money to him in less obvious ways. As reported by
the Vermont Press Bureau:


Brook said campaign staff met to discuss the issue Monday,
and options on the table include having supporters loan the campaign money or
form their own political action committees in their communities to support his
run for governor.


Thus, even if the impression fostered by Mr. Pollina -
that he did not intentionally violate the contribution limits every other
candidate must comply with - is true, it appears that his and his campaign’s
current actions in attempting to keep those contributions despite knowing their
now illegal nature is an intentional and serious violation of Vermont law.
Specifically, Title 17, Section 2805(e) provides:


(e) A candidate, political party, or political committee
shall not knowingly accept a contribution which is not directly from the
contributor, but was transferred to the contributor by another person for the
purpose of transferring the same to the candidate, or otherwise circumventing
the provisions of this chapter. It shall be a violation of this chapter for a
person to make a contribution with the explicit or implicit understanding that
the contribution will be transferred in violation of this
subsection.


That he changed party affiliation before filing for office
should not be a factor. What matters is the party affiliation he files under,
when he files. This current attempt to keep "overage" funds by forming PACs or
funneling money to other people is directly contrary to the letter and spirit of
this statute and warrants the investigation and prosecution of violations by
your office. It appears under the language of section 2805(e) that such an
investigation would encompass not only Mr. Pollina and his election operatives,
but those acting in concert with their schemes as sources of illegal campaign
contributions. Hopefully innocent people who have been misled will not be
prosecuted, but I understand that decision is fully within the purview of your
office.


As Chair of the Local Government Committee which passed
Act 64 in 1997, with Mr. Pollina’s help, I’m astounded and disappointed by his
recent behavior, as well as his misunderstanding of the law. I know there are
legal ways to raise money. I believe he has the capacity to use them. I would
expect your office would examine these issues as well or direct any pertinent
information to the appropriate state or federal authorities for further
consideration if you feel it is warranted.


Thank you for your consideration of this
matter.


Sincerely,
Lynn Bohi
Former State
Representative
Town of Hartford


--Terri Hallenbeck and Nancy Remsen

Comments:
It’s sad that folks spend so much time on the fumbles of a candidate who has no legitimate shot at winning when there are actual issues out there that are under reported.

-Vermont Yankee has serious safety deficiencies.

-The state has no realistic energy policy (and we’ll be paying through the nose for electricity when the current VY contract expires.)

-Working Vermonters can't afford health care

-Vermont’s employment rate is at a 15 year low.

-The state's budget is in jeopardy and the governor is making more cuts to state services (state police, roads and judicial services.)

Why focus so much on the saga of Anthony Pollina when there are so many issues that are much more important?

Another failed Pollina campaign won't change the lives of many Vermonters. The energy crisis will. The healthcare crisis will. The economic crisis will.

Let's keep our eye on the ball !!
 
That's why we need to reject Gov Douglas and his administration's lack of vision and partisan fights!
 
Does anyone else think that maybe, just maybe, Pollina's plan is to drop out just at the last moment one has to officially declare as an independent? Maybe he would make a great Secretary of Agriculture in the Symington administration. Or perhaps the Public Service Commissioner?
 
Pollina isn't qualified for thoes jobs.

What does he have on his resume that would make him a good fit for Sec. of Ag? A failed milk company? A few months at the helm of VPIRG? A talk radio show?

I hope he drops out ... he might have to since his campaign is out of money. But his ego is so huge ... I don't see it happening.
 
If Tony needs money, perhaps he can get one of them Vermont credit cards that he's been pushing.
 
Time for these other third-party candidates to start making the rounds. I was going to vote for Pollina but won't now because I don't agree with the funds decision. I might have voted for Symington but she's lying about her tax returns (what politician doesn't expect the tax return question in 2008?). I won't ever vote for Douglas because he's a Bush wanker. All ready to go, and no one to vote for.
 
What a trio, Snarky, Boots and "Bozo" Bohi!
 
Anyone who thinks Symington lied about her tax returns has no comprehension of the facts. She disclosed her personal tax return on a pro forma form with a social security number of 000-00-0000.

Douglas has spread this story that she "lied". Anyone who looks at the form knows that it is a tool to disclose her financial information, not a "forged" document.

IT's time for Douglas to stop with the lies and get down to the real issues of the campaign.

Energy policy
Healthcare policy
Tax policy
Economic policy

Dougals has failed in each of these areas. No wonder he tries to change the subject.
 
I can't believe for a minute that Bozo is smart enough to have crafted the letter to McShane by herself. She had help. (and now her husband Chuckie Cheese wants to take her place)
 
^^ I don't know Rep. Bohi, but the previous post says a whole lot more about its author than is says about Bohi.
 
So explain to me why she filed jointly, yet tried to say she filed as an "indpendent"? Is this a dummy tax return? What does it show us? How do I get the same entitlement?

No matter how you try to sugarcoat this mistake, it is a mistake. If you want to play the game, you better know the rules.
 
Uh Dude, you are asking questions that have very obvious answers.

Look at the tax return. Look at the cover page. She was very explicit about what everything was.

Look at the documents. If the big words are too difficult for you to understand, sound out the big words, or ask a grown up for help.
 
She should ask McCain who did his return and give them a call.
 
You should learn more about the clown Bohi before you take much stock in what she has to say. I know legislators that just shook their heads whenever this joker stood up to speak and now her hubbie thinks he can continue the tradition! Heaven help us should he actually win. Vermont needs more adults in Montpelier.
 
Peabody J. Flash...

"...I know legislators that just shook their heads whenever this joker stood up to speak and now her hubbie thinks he can continue the tradition!..."

Gee, Mr Peabody "knows" legislators that...

Get your boy Sherman to notarize that and we'll talk, little fella.

Horsebit Hearsay from Mr Peabody. As standards of evidence go, that's about nine steps short of fan mail from some flounder, little fella.
 
I've sat in the SHose Gallery and watched this nut job from Hartford actually try and talk. She couldn't put a complete sentence together - ever. Now she and her Prog/Dem crowd are trying to get her equally useless husband elected as a Rep from Hartford. What a statement on the quality of candidates from the "Gateway to Vermont"...Chuckie Bohi and Kevin "use the schools credit card to on-line gamble" Christie. Is this the best you can do?
 
Peabody J. Flash....

"Vermont needs more adults in Montpelier."

Yeah, the Commissioner of Transportation needs someone to read him a story at nap time.

Always a pleasure, flasher boy.
 
John Smith said...

"Does anyone else think that maybe, just maybe, Pollina's plan is to drop out just at the last moment one has to officially declare as an independent? Maybe he would make a great Secretary of Agriculture in the Symington administration. Or perhaps the Public Service Commissioner?"

He'd make an even better radio talk-show host. He's got no business being Governor of the State of Vermont, but he already knows more than flush, inshannity and the rest of the clear channel cavalcade of clueless-cretin crapolla, combined.
 
Symingtons problem is that people just don't like her. There really is no cure for that.
 
Karl Rove would be so proud.....of Deb Markowitz and Bill Sorrell. Taking a page from the Republican play book and using their high office to help take the heat off of their candidate for Governor. Lying to the press about your tax returns is serious business. So, your friends in high office look around for how to make trouble for your opponent. Markowitz and Sorrell make up a new definition of how to interpret an already vague law, most of which has been thrown out by the Supreme Court, and claim that Pollina has violated it. Instead of putting their criticisms in writing to the campaign, and asking them to address the problem, the call them up and then call the press, continuing to conduct the conversation through the press without any sort of official notification to the campaign. That's how it's done folks, classic smear tactics.
 
Do Douglas and Symington have to return donations over 1,000 since they have no primary opponent?
 
^^ You might not like the law, but that does not justify breaking it.

You can blame the people who enforce the law -- but the person to blame is the person who broke the law.
 
Perhaps some day remaining Vermonters will realize that the only way to return Vermont to it's previous glory days is to throw out EVERY prog/dim and only vote for conservative Republican/Independents. Until we see the line of Volvos packed high with birkenstocks and hemp, (ala the 30's Oakies)headed for the Mass and New York borders, Vermont will remain proof of what fools liberals can be when allowed to play with government.
 
bubba...

"Perhaps some day remaining Vermonters will realize that the only way to return Vermont to it's previous glory days is to throw out EVERY prog/dim and only vote for conservative Republican/Independents."

Perhaps not.

"Until we see the line of Volvos packed high with birkenstocks and hemp, (ala the 30's Oakies)headed for the Mass and New York borders, Vermont will remain proof of what fools liberals can be when allowed to play with government."

Nah, this is a Dem State, bubble boy. You're just gonna have to take it where the climate suits your sheet, schmuck.

That said, I can think of no nitwit more qualified to part the waters of Lake Champlain, shove off and lead an ignorant, anonymous-trash exodus to the brain-dead bigot promised land, little bubble boy. Stay dry.

It's been fun.
 
Whar curse has been put on Vermont to have us inherit flatlanders like Bohi, jw, Wardinski and Colby, Pollina, Lippert, Symington, CLF, VPIRG, Sanders, the entire progressive party of nitwits, and 90% of the dimocrats?
 
Why are there missing campaign finance reports on the Secretary of State website? Are some people allowed not to reports?

Do some people not have to file? Let's make this a fair game if we are going to pick on Mr. Pollina.

Who can we check with over missing campaign finance reports? Does the press follow this stuff up? Hopefully someone does.
 
If you don't raise or spend over $500, you don't have to file.

This is common knowledge -- and should not be used to distract from the fact that Pollina is breaking the rules.
 
bubba said...

"Whar curse has been put on Vermont to have us inherit flatlanders like Bohi, jw, Wardinski and Colby, Pollina, Lippert, Symington, CLF, VPIRG, Sanders, the entire progressive party of nitwits, and 90% of the dimocrats?"

In other words, ya haven't got a case or a clue and ya don't know what the hell your ignorant, ill-informed, brain-dead bigoted ass is talkin' about.

Thanks for clearin' that up, bubble boy.
 
Anonymous said...

"That's right - nothing. Just like when they were in session. That's why Governor Douglas refused to call a "Special Session". He refused to waste the taxpayer's money further on that group of "Leggies". Thank you Jim Douglas."

Yeah, six years of Jim equals joblessness and now he wants another two so he can make Vermonters homeless, too.

Get over yourself, little nameless-nitwit fella. He didn't want to call the Legislature come back to confirm the fact that it was, "hell of a job, hoffie!", his incompetent hack-loyalist Commissioner of Corrections who recommended and signed off on early release for Jacques in the first place.

As in DC, the biggest threat to Vermont is the incompetent trash in the Pavilion and the clueless cretins who're still dim enough to buy their song and dance.
 
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