Yesterday the UT reported:
Kinde Durkee was arrested Friday at Durkee and Associates in Burbank and charged with one count of mail fraud, said Lauren Horwood. The arrest was first reported by The Orange County Register.
In 2010, Voter Education Group, a slate-mailer managed by Durkee and Associates, was fined more than $110,000 by the FPPC for various reporting violations. One of the mailers endorsed Encinitas council candidates Kristin Gaspar and Dan Dalager while taking aim at Teresa Barth.
Last year the UT reported (with an empty comments section):
Voter Education Group reported receiving a $5,000 contribution last month from an Encinitas woman named Jane Blair for mailers endorsing Gaspar. Its original Oct. 5 campaign finance statement erroneously identified Jane Blair as a candidate for Encinitas City Council.
Gaspar, CFO of a physical therapy group called Gaspar Doctors of Physical Therapy, said Blair is her former client. Blair also was seen campaigning for Gaspar at an event last month. Blair’s listed numbers were all disconnected and she did not respond to e-mails.
Read: Follow the Money 2010
Read: It is all legit.
Read: Believe in unicorns.
The negative appearance that is projected by the use of a group like this should give pause to candidates. It hasn't. Some candidates have been extremely proud of the work of Voter Education Group. We should not be surprised that public policy discussions sometimes appear hollow, manipulated, and even bought. We should not be surprised that our elected leaders spend taxpayer dollars on projects that are shady.
The public should begin supporting candidates who campaign on issues and do so in a manner that is transparent and in the spirit of the law.
Well, lookie here.
ReplyDeleteOne of the people funneling money through Voter Education Group is our own Alice Jacobson.
Now why would a nice old lady who just wants to be Environment Commissioner funnel money to a shady campaign group to produce dirty hit pieces?
Maybe Alice Jacobson is what most people claim-- a lap dog to the broken government at City Hall lead by the failure bought off politician Jerome Stocks.
ReplyDeleteWe look exactly like Bell without the numbers (they are coming). How bad can it get before the voters say enough is enough?
ReplyDeleteIt all needs to end in the next election cycle. The voting public outnumbers the cronies 25:1 so please move out of your comfort zone and help clean house. All this out of control spending and corruption will result in less services and your $ going into their pockets.
No magic fairy is going to come and clean up this very expensive mess - YOU ARE ON THE HOOK -unless you leave THEIR town. The cash for the unfunded millionaire pension, cronies, and CapEx failures will come from the citizens and it will be taken before you can fund your retirement, save for college or pay your bills.
It is the taxpayers versus the special interests and criminals - the time for "honest" debate with this council is over.
Every council member (except Barth) needs to be replaced and then the voters need to bypass the remainder of the council members and vote on a few direct ballot measures to begin to reign in this out of control city. Or you can ignore the obvious, keep your head down, and then cry foul when the bills come due.
Well Put! I second that. Lets get rid of dead brain Bond and paid off Stocks. By then the three nimwits will put Alice Jacobson in office so we will need to make sure that connie is put to sleep.
ReplyDeleteIts time to wake up and act. Get the word out and contribute to candidates running against our broken corrupt system insiders.