The Hoboken Tax Reform Coalition
Beth Mason and allegations of illegal cash payments from her mayoral campaign
Three different local sources have all issued stories:
Hoboken Patch:
Jersey Journal:
Mile Square View:
All provide varying level of details on the press conference with Councilman Ravi Bhalla and the documented instances of violations submitted in the Mason for Mayor campaign's ELEC documents.
In addition to the illegal disbursement of "street money" in 48 instances of checks made out to "cash" there are also problems with the "recipients" not equaling the number of checks issued.
No one has been able to get to Beth Mason and question any of this. Not yet anyway.
Tags: 2009, Beth, ELEC, Mason, and, campaign, cash, illegal, payments
Views: 3
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lincolnlogger on -
Gee, I bet you won't see this story appear on another number-related local website.
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Permalink Reply by Jack Dawkins on -
POG - we're waiting for your statement!
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Permalink Reply by SmartyJones on -
A Mason spokesman issues a blanket denial, Da Horsey issues a blanket vivisection:
http://hobokenhorse.blogspot.com/2010/05/mason-spokesman-cash-check...
MSV includes complete details on the violations and specific examples deconstructing the denial.
Enjoy!
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Permalink Reply by Eric Kurta on -
Disclaimer: This is just me, not POG.
POG hasn't been that involved in ELEC monitoring - that was something I did mainly on my own, thereby lessening the conspiracy theorists' ability to read nefarious and partisan intent into the group's activities.
Here's something I'd put together last year - and just updated - showing who filed and when in the 2009 city races, since we're talking about that again.
2009 Filings - Attachments:
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2009 Filings 20100504.pdf, 172 KB
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Permalink Reply by Tony Soares on -
Not the 1st time pay to play accusations flew:
http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/2412012/article-Candi...
Candidates forced to explain campaign flyers T...financing
by Michael D. Mullins Reporter staff writer May 08, 2007
When one pair of council members held a press conference on the steps of City Hall Tuesday to charge that their opponents were telling lies about them, the aforementioned opponents appeared at the event to try to answer some of the questions raised.
First Ward Councilwoman Theresa Castellano and 3rd Ward Councilman Michael Russo, who are running for re-election to the nine-member City Council this May 8, complained about a misleading flyer handed near by the local ShopRite last weekend. The flyer came from the joint campaigns of 1st Ward candidate Ron Rosenberg and 3rd Ward candidate Frank "Pupie" Raia.
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Raia and Rosenberg responded by saying that while Raia had recently put $5,000 in their joint campaign fund, he took it back out a week ago.
Can a developer fund himself?
When Castellano introduced the press conference on Tuesday, she said she was exposing what "may be an illegal act committed by Ron Rosenberg and Frank Raia."
Castellano then referred to the fact that the candidates had filed blank ELEC reports, which are state campaign financing reports.
In response to the councilwoman's charges, Rosenberg said that when the first ELEC report was required, which was 29 days prior to the election, there were no campaign funds or expenditures put into Raia and Rosenberg's joint account.
Rosenberg added that later, Raia contributed $5,000 of his own money to the joint account. However, the week before the press conference, Raia removed the funds, so their joint account now has "not a single penny" from Raia.
Rosenberg said the account now has only Rosenberg's money, and friends' donations.
Castellano charged that Rosenberg and Raia's reluctance to reveal their campaign finances was because it could be perceived as a violation of the recently passed "pay to play" reform ordinances that limit developer contributions to candidates.
The ordinances were put forth by the People for Open Government (POG), a non-partisan political committee dedicated to promoting open transparent government. They are an attempt to control the influence companies have over politicians when it comes to contracts being awarded.
Eric Kurta, who is the president of POG, took a leave of absence from POG to be Rosenberg's campaign manager.
"Mr. Rosenberg and Mr. Kurta are running a political campaign financed by Mr. Raia, an admitted developer," Castellano claimed. "This is an insult to all Hoboken residents who supported the effort to reform campaign funding on a local level."
Rosenberg said that the withdrawal of the $5,000 from the account stemmed from a mutual agreement between both candidates that Rosenberg would bear the financial burden this time around, since Raia funded much of a previous campaign in which the two took part two years ago.
Castellano noted that recently, Rosenberg and Raia changed their campaign literature from "Paid for by Raia and Rosenberg for Hoboken Council" to "Paid for by Rosenberg for Hoboken Council."
Rosenberg attributed it to a printing error.
Rosenberg also pointed out that his campaign literature included the required documentation as to who was providing the funding, and Russo and Castellano's literature does not always display that documentation. Rosenberg presented one piece of pro-Castellano literature that didn't display funding information.
Kurta and Raia respond
The pay-to-play reform ordinance, according to Kurta, prohibits developers who are negotiating for or redeveloping within specially designated city zones, from contributing to local candidates or political parties, in an attempt to reduce businesses' influence over politicians' decisions.
It is true that Raia is currently involved in a contract with the city in a designated redevelopment zone, which he entered into during the 1990s. But because he is not financing anyone's campaign right now, it is a non-issue, said Kurta.
He added that the ordinance does not preclude a developer from running for elected office.
Regarding his decision to be Rosenberg's campaign manager, Kurta said that he did so not as a representative of POG, but rather as a friend who agreed with the candidate's policy to achieve an open and transparent municipal government.
Another issue Russo raised is Raia's interest in the former mercury-contaminated site at 720 Grand St., a property located in the 3rd Ward that was purchased from the Environmental Protection Agency earlier this year by a development firm in which Raia is a partner.
According to Raia, the property is not located within a redevelopment zone right now. He added that his intention to build a much-needed senior building in Hoboken was not a violation of the pay-to-play reform ordinance or a conflict of interest, being that he is running for an elected office.
Rosenberg goes after Castellano
Taking the offensive after the press conference, Rosenberg asked why Castellano did not demand that her cousin, former Mayor Anthony Russo, promptly pay the money he owes Hoboken, which Rosenberg said any other private citizen who owed the city money would have to do.
As a result of pleading guilty to taking bribes in the summer of 2005 to a federal judge, Anthony Russo owes money to Hoboken, which Rosenberg approximated at $300,000.
"Why aren't you asking for the money back, Terry?" said Rosenberg.
In response, Castellano said Rosenberg was misinformed, and that the former mayor, who is currently serving time in prison, is paying off his debt monthly.
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Permalink Reply by Lincolnlogger on
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Eric, your contributions are much appreciated.
I don't know Ron Rosenburg, but I'm sure he's better than Castellano.
With regards to Raia vs. Russo...pick your poison? Can't say I'd vote for either if they were running today.
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Permalink Reply by SmartyJones on
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Re: Eric Kurta, plus one.
MSV has also updated the earlier story of illegal cash payments by Beth Mason with new revelations.
Mile Square View
Lincolnlogger said:Eric, your contributions are much appreciated.
I don't know Ron Rosenburg, but I'm sure he's better than Castellano.
With regards to Raia vs. Russo...pick your poison? Can't say I'd vote for either if they were running today.
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Permalink Reply by SmartyJones on
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To be clear, it's plus one to Lincolnlogger's sentiment on Eric.
Lincolnlogger said:Eric, your contributions are much appreciated.
I don't know Ron Rosenburg, but I'm sure he's better than Castellano.
With regards to Raia vs. Russo...pick your poison? Can't say I'd vote for either if they were running today.
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Permalink Reply by ditto on
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Mason's efforts to exonerate herself with the publication of 6 checks in Hoboken Patch today only raise more questions.
http://hoboken.patch.com/articles/beth-mason-denies-campaign-financ...
The 6 checks released only confirm that Mason did indeed file a false ELEC report. Grafix Avenger did a nice visual check analysis against the original ELEC report check listings:
http://grafixavenger.blogspot.com/2010/05/6-mason-campaign-checks.html
All that money and nothing to show for it; not even an accurate ELEC report. Poor Mason.
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Permalink Reply by FAP on
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According to Ms. Mason through her spokesperson:
The spokesman, who did not work on the campaign, said the language of the laws governing street money use and the guideline contained in the manual read slightly differently and a layman may have interpreted it to mean that doing so was kosher."
From ELEC's Candidate Compliance Manual:
J. STREET MONEY
All street money expenditures must be paid by check drawn on the designated
depository of the committee making the payment, regardless of the amount paid, and the
check must be made payable to the recipient. Payment of street money cannot be
made in currency.
I'm sorry but the statement Ms. Mason authorized does not hold water. The rule in the manual is if anything even more clear than the written law. We need the real story as to who was paid, how much they were paid, and who in the campaign leadership authorized the payments.
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Permalink Reply by khoboken on
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Keep defending her, I guess you have to, as your wife was the campaign treasurer and signed the forms. "Vendors" can pay their workers? What were all of these people "vending"? Votes, perhaps? That is just silly - I agree that neither should be drawn and quartered, but stop with the nonsense that there is nothing wrong with the filings. Own up to the mistake, accept responsibility and move on. Mr. Bhalla is handling this much better than Ms. Mason. Does he pay his "handlers" as much as Ms. Mason?
John Stevens keim said:Forde, Third party vendors can be paid. They are then responsible for paying their workers. Totally legal whether you or I like it or not. See you soon. JK
FAP said:According to Ms. Mason through her spokesperson:
The spokesman, who did not work on the campaign, said the language of the laws governing street money use and the guideline contained in the manual read slightly differently and a layman may have interpreted it to mean that doing so was kosher."
From ELEC's Candidate Compliance Manual:
J. STREET MONEY
All street money expenditures must be paid by check drawn on the designated
depository of the committee making the payment, regardless of the amount paid, and the
check must be made payable to the recipient. Payment of street money cannot be
made in currency.
I'm sorry but the statement Ms. Mason authorized does not hold water. The rule in the manual is if anything even more clear than the written law. We need the real story as to who was paid, how much they were paid, and who in the campaign leadership authorized the payments.
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Permalink Reply by FAP on
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John are you claiming that Ms.Mason and your wife Ines authorized these "vendor" checks to people with the understanding they were being paid as a vendor, with all the responsibilities this entails?
If so then Ms.Mason and Ines are saying that, for example, Venessa Gonzalez is legaly responsible for all reporting and recording keeping required by law for the claimed payment to Judith Inselberg, see Mason campaign check 1112.
Because...
If a vendor, group, association, or other entity further distributes street money to other
individuals, the vendor, group, or association must make all payments by
check and the name and address of every individual receiving street money,
the date street money was received, and the amount of street money is
required to be reported by the reporting entity that provided the street money
funds;
So John if asked under oath you're confident that Ms.Gonzalez will agree that she was a vendor and not just an election day worker?
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