Delea's Dud

An interesting bit of news passed through GA Central on Tuesday afternoon; the 'opposition' was going to drop an eleventh hour bomb on the reform slate. It was going to be huge.  Devastating.  Reform's hopes of winning back the City Council would be left a smoking heap of ash in it's wake, the blast would singe our mayor. And the weapon of mass destruction would come wrapped in a pretty package.

Scott Delea.

Yes, GA heard that Delea had been chosen to 'deliver' the weapon in order to raise his profile, perhaps add a bit of gravitas to a political newbie. And of course, give him a 'surge' going into the homestretch. The strategy to force Cunningham into a runoff.

About this 'weapon', Delea was going to charge our Reformers with breaking the law, and was planning to file a criminal complaint.

More: the local media already HAD the story and was waiting for Delea to press the 'launch' button in order to deploy their ICBM straight at the heart of Reform- they were going to print with it. (Call it teamwork; the Dark side plies their media contacts with their version of events, and the compliant media wags its tail and rolls over. Good doggy!)

It sure sounded bad.  As in 'the end'.

Well, folks.  My source had it right- halfway.  There was a political strategy. Delea was chosen to deliver it. He had filed a complaint with the Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC).  But....

His weapon was a DUD.

dud/dəd/Noun

1. A thing that fails to work properly or is otherwise unsatisfactory or worthless.

2. An ineffectual person

In other words, his nuclear warhead was armed with a Fluffernutter.

Now, if the local media runs with THIS... they might as well declare a partnership with Paul Swibinski.

Here's why.  

• The complaint is crap. There is NOTHING illegal about a candidate donating cash to a PAC. And the individual candidates' contribution amounts do NOT circumvent ELEC rules because they are BELOW the ELEC individual contribution limits. 
• Delea presented NO EVIDENCE that Cunningham was responsible for the management or disbursement of any PAC money. 

Here's what Patch had to say:

Besides the donation, Delea didn't provide other proof of Cunningham's involvement with the management of the committee. Political candidates are allowed to donate money to political committees, but not permitted to manage them.

Local media: unless YOU have PROOF that Cunningham or any other reform candidate was involved with  the management of this money then you will be PARTICIPATING in a smear campaign on the final weekend before our election.

And you'll be called out on it.

Treasurer of Move Hoboken Ahead, Forde Prigot, said on Wednesday that he and the chairperson of the committee, Drew Moss, are the only ones who are able to write checks and decide how money is spent. "Peter Cunningham is not the chair and not the treasurer," Prigot said.

Got THAT?

As for you Scott, stick to eating Fluffernutter.  It goes with the hair gel.

Meeeee-ow.