Who Was Paying For All This, Howie?
Howie Lind made a huge deal about the 10th Republican Congressional District opening and staffing two offices during this past election cycle. Here is the announcement on the 10th CD’s webpage.
Unfortunately, when you look at the campaign finance reports filed by Howie’s committee for the last quarter of the year, there is absolutely nothing about rent or in-kind contributions for these two office spaces. So who paid for them? Did the owners of the office space donate the market price rent for the space? If so then it should be declared as an in-kind contribution. This is elementary campaign finance compliance.
If anyone knows more about this, please fill us in, along with the State Board of Elections.
UPDATE: Good info coming in comments. Come on, people, help me out here and do a little research, I can’t do it all myself!
Nothing popped out on the RPV disclosure forms for the same period that could have paid for these spaces, which are clearly touted as 10th District Committee offices in the announcement. McLean opening on September 10, 2011, and Leesburg opening on September 13, 2011. Someone with good intel told me the McLean office cost $4,000 a month. Who paid for it and why wasn’t it reported?
The Mclean office was pretty nice. It probably did go for four grand a month.
The Leesburg office is still up and running – and there has been no accounting for how it is paid for. Is McLean still open?
Maybe Jim Plowman can look into this! (sarcasm alert, big time)
I am also aware that Howie has been taking funds and reimbursing himself for expenses made while on the job such as gas, event reimbursements, etc..If this is so its a huge breach of ethics and the Committee should be investigating.
Didn’t Howie worship Jeff Frederick? I see some similarities.
Some expenses shown in the second quarter report for food, gas, and contributons to favored candidates:
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Campaign_Finance_Disclosure/View_Disclosure_Reports/CF_Report_Print_Results.asp?SUWVVal=CommitteeActiveView&RepYearVal=2011&tCNVal=&tCCVal=&tCSVal=&tCZVal=&tCOVal=&tCBDVal=&tCEDVal=&tCAFVal=&tCATVal=&tCCSOptVal=EqualTo&CandVal=&CommVal=981414&RDVal=06/30/2011&RSDVal=04/01/2011&SCHVal=D&OffVal=&PtyVal=&DownID=&RepID=%280%29PAC2110002&SchID=A+D+G+H+
For some reason there are absolutely ZERO contributions or expenses shown for the third quarter report when the 10th District Committee was opening up two offices. How can that be???
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Campaign_Finance_Disclosure/View_Disclosure_Reports/CF_Reports_Results.asp?SUWVVal=CommitteeActiveView&RepYearVal=2011&tCNVal=&tCCVal=&tCSVal=&tCZVal=&tCOVal=&tCBDVal=&tCEDVal=&tCAFVal=&tCATVal=&tCCSOptVal=EqualTo&CandVal=&CommVal=981414&RDVal=09/30/2011&RSDVal=07/01/2011&SCHVal=H&OffVal=&PtyVal=&FSVal=&DownID=&RepID=%280%29PAC2110003&SchID=G+H+
From the LCRC website:
“10th District Victory Office in Leesburg
18 Royal Street, Suite 102
Leesburg, VA 2016
The Victory Office will remain open post-election, hours to be determined.”
Anyone know who owns this building?
Check with the Town record keeper, they’ll know. In fact, it might be online under tax assessment and property assessment.
Just thought I would check the LCRC filing to see if they were paying rent on this office or showing an in-kind contribution. Nope.
http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Campaign_Finance_Disclosure/View_Disclosure_Reports/CF_Reports_Results.asp?SUWVVal=CommitteeActiveView&RepYearVal=2011&tCNVal=&tCCVal=&tCSVal=&tCZVal=&tCOVal=&tCBDVal=&tCEDVal=&tCAFVal=&tCATVal=&tCCSOptVal=EqualTo&CandVal=&CommVal=940069&RDVal=12/31/2011&RSDVal=10/01/2011&SCHVal=D&OffVal=&PtyVal=&DownID=&RepID=%280%29PAC2110004&SchID=A+B+D+G+H+
And the cretins will be so surprised if they knew who gave me this info, it absolutely isn’t Anna Lee or Joanne Chase. It’s someone they think of as in their little circle, but too many people on their periphery are onto and sick of their game playing and back stabbing. It’s all crumbling down bit by bit as people see through these people and see them for what they are – a bunch of self absorbed power hungry hacks.
“Anyone know who owns this building?”
It is owned by Thomas Kestler of Kestler Financial Services and is listed for rent by Sperry Van Ness/ Vaaler Real Estate. Interestingly, both Sperry Van Nes and Vaaler RE have contributed to R local campaigns in the past. No record for Thomas Kestler but a Lee Kestler of Leesburg has made Republican contributions in past elections as well. Don’t know of any connection.
A Lind apologist just told me in an email that this must have just been an oversight.
Come on, this is elementary campaign finance disclosure. If you are running two offices you better show how you are paying for them or who is donating the spaces. I thought Howie was taking over from that dastardly Jim Rich to clean up things and make them more transparent? How is this transparent???
Does anyone know the address of the McLean office – I couldn’t find it. I wonder who owns that.
With Virginia’s wide-open campaign finance laws, last year, it probably wasn’t illegal. This is a federal campaign year, though, and it is definitely illegal per federal law. IF they’re helping Wolf or Allen, or any of the Republican primary candidates, they’re in very clear violation of several Federal campaign finance laws.
NJSM, Virginia basically has no dollar limits on political contributions, but full disclosure is required, so yes there appears to be a violation here. The next hurdle is then finding someone willing to mandate compliance.
I guess you’re right on last year then. Finding someone to mandate compliance from Richmond may be tough, but the FEC should be interested in this year’s compliance.
The SBE always punts to the local Commonwealth’s Attorney. In Loudoun this will go nowhere since we are stuck with Jim Plowman, who never sees anything wrong with Republican campaign matters, unless they happen to be people running against a candidate he has endorsed in a primary. Maybe Fairfax folks would have better luck in regard to the McLean office, but usually someone needs to file a complaint. I can’t do it all, people. get to typing.
I thought maybe the expenses would be shown on the federal account, although that does not make sense since the offices were primarily if not completely used for supporting state and local races last year. For some reason they have not submitted or FEC didn’t post the Disbursement forms as they did for 2010 and earlier.
http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/fecimg/?C00005462
What’s the address on the McLean office?
No one has bothered to tell us yet and I haven’t gone digging for it.
How odd, since they had a grand opening party (http://www.vagop10.org/news.php?id=7163) at which GOP VIP’s had their pictures taken — somebody must have told them where it was. How bizarre.
Do those photos show for you? They don’t for me.
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