I prefer images to piles of raw data.
So when I got a heap emailed to me last night (data) I said, "blech". It was an excerpt from Timmy's ELEC report splayed out on a spreadsheet, guts and all.
The spreadsheet listed all 543 VBMs returned;
Compelled by hypnotic rows of $40 entries I did a cursory review (I was cursing), and noticed an anomaly. In the seemingly endless column of $40 'campaign worker' payments, there were (1) of each of these amounts: $1,200, $1,000 and $900.
Why did (3) people get so much cash?
They were Christopher Axia, Dio Braxton and Lizaida Camisa. But wait... these names also turned up as VBM 'Bearers'. .. in fact, these three highly-paid workers had the highest totals of VBMs. You don't know what a 'Bearer' is? Simply put, it's someone who takes the ballot from the voter to a mailbox or directly to the Board of Elections.
Back to our anomaly. We have hundreds of 'campaign workers' each receiving $40 payments, then (3) 'campaign workers' receiving 20 - 30 times that amount. And these 3 workers were the top 3 Ballot-bearers.
- Christopher Axia was paid $1,200 at 'various times' and was the Bearer for 36 VBMs. (24 of the 36 were paid 'campaign workers' on the ELECs@ $40/each)
- Dio Braxton was paid $1,000 at 'various times' and was the Bearer for 85 VBMs (80 of them were 'paid campaign workers' @ $40/each, 3 were 'campaign workers' paid at $80/each and 1 'campaign worker' was paid $200)
- Lizaida Camisa was paid $900 at 'various times' and was the Bearer for 92 VBMs! (56 of them 'paid campaign workers at $40/each and 2 @ $80/each)
Lizaida honey, they ripped you off!
You rounded up the MOST VBMs of the heavy-hitters and got paid the LEAST! Yeah, that's right... we women ALWAYS get stiffed.
Luzaida honey, you got screwed.
The next time you throw in with one of these ballot harvesting gigs, ask what they're paying the boys . And don't you take one penny less.
Ladies out there, are you sick and tired of your hard work being compensated for a fraction of what your shiftless and lazy male counterparts is? Me too. Let's organize.
Better yet, let's unionize. Starting with 4th Ward VBM farming. In May, it's going to be different. A lot different. And our battle cry will be:
"Justice for Lizaida!"
I thought that pursuant to the new election law, bearers can only bring in 10 ballots each. Could somebody please shed some light on this?
ReplyDeleteMessengers (from the county to the voter) are limited to handling ten ballots.
ReplyDeleteBearers (from the voter to the county or the mailbox) are unlimited.
This is just one reason why the current VBM law is a joke.
That's putting it mildly, Sam! You must come back again in the Spring to help us hoist Councilwoman Mason on her own petard. She is perverting the democratic process in Hoboken like the K Street Lobby does on the federal level. I'm convinced she'd spend any amount of money she could lay her hands on and take any ethically-compromised actions to become the Mayor of Hoboken. But she has to get reelected first. At first blush, that seems very unlikley...on second thought, I am reminded that I also thought W's chances for reelection were slim.
ReplyDeleteToday is the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Please remember those who lost their lives defending our country. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGreat observation GA. Simply brilliant. Let's wait for Occhipinti's May 2011 ELECs to see if he corrects the glaring gender wage gap. After all Occhipinti told voters he wants to put the 4th ward first.
ReplyDeleteSheesh! Who can you trust? Now-a-days even scams aren't on the level!
ReplyDelete