 |
| Beth and Ricky Mason show their anti-Giattino fliers to President Obama |
Were you wondering who was pumping cash into the shadowy "Real Democrats for Hoboken," to pay for those costly, full-color anti-Giattino fliers that blanketed Hoboken's 6th Ward?
GA's got the answer. Here is the PAC's 48-hour ELEC form certified by Treasurer Ines Garcia Keim:
 |
| "Real Democrats for Hoboken" 48-HR ELEC report |
Beth and Ricky Mason, giving his-and-hers in-kind contributions ("direct mail") of $5,600 each for a grand total of $11,200.
The Masons are below their maximum allowable contribution of $7,200 each, or $14,400 total for this campaign.
Unfortunately for the "Real Democrats for Hoboken," STATE law limits their contribution to the 6th Ward race to $8,200; LOCAL law permits a maximum contribution of only $500.
Wheel-y.
Treasurer Ines Keim of "Real Democrats for Hoboken" appears to have violated ELEC law by exceeding the maximum allowable contribution by a PAC to an individual candidate.
Jeez, not more ELEC fines! I hope I'm wrong!
For those concerned that the "Paid for" on the "Real Dems" smear-mail listed a P.O. box instead of the PAC's registered Washington Street address, the PAC amended their address on a D-4 form filed on October 29, 2015.
Did you see what I saw? Is it a violation to lie to the Election Law Enforcement Committee?
Take a look.
"Real Democrats for Hoboken" paid for FOUR 6th Ward election mailers at the same time it took in $11,200 from the Masons and certified to the Election Law Enforcement Comission they expect to raise $1,400 and spend $1,300...
No wonder "Real Democrats for Hoboken" Chairman John Keim calls GA a "hate" blog.
GA hates corruption.
toothless enforcement makes people -- particularly rich people -- act shamelessly. they don't think the rules apply to them, and even if the rule do, so what? they will likely never get caught. and if they do, what does ricky care about a $10k (or $50k) fine?
ReplyDeletecan't buy class and morals. in the end, beth and ricky are not different/better than garcia.
I think in many ways Beth and Ricky are actually much worse then Carmelo.
DeleteBeth and Ricky are far worse because they enable other bad people to do the bad things they do. Just think how better off the whole town would be if Mason's money just dried up and none of these people had access to all that cash, the use of her offices or her minions.
DeleteGreat job Grafix Avenger! So what we have here is massive lawbreaking by the whole remnant of Masonistas and of course Beth Mason and Richard G. Mason of Wachtell, Lipton, Rose & Katz.
ReplyDeleteUnbelievable.
These people have no respect for law but you nailed them to the scene fo the Krime!
Beth's first outing as kingmaker. FAIL.
ReplyDeleteNot surprised. When I see Ines Garcia-Kiems name attached to anything even remotely political I assume see is fronting for Mr. and Mrs Richard G. Mason.
ReplyDeleteTheir stated objective is to "support...values...by supporting...values". Wow! That's right up there with "delivering deliverables". One more thing to put on their resumes.
ReplyDeleteEven without knowing at the time who paid for the mailings the distinctive putrid stench of Beth Mason's bile was all over them.
ReplyDeleteIf anything the filth the Mason's pump out with their seemingly endless supply of money helped defeat the very people they tried to support.
I see Beth Mason is woman consumed by hatred, jealousy, self doubt and the insecurities of her own repeated failures despite having the extraordinary wealth of her husband and all the advantages it could buy.
Even before we saw the documentation of who paid for the mailers, the distinctive putrid stench of Beth Mason bile coming off of them was overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteIn the end they did more damage to the candidates Mason was trying to support then those they were trying to attack.
Also interesting is Mike Russo's ELEC's. He claims loaned himself $15,000 and picked up a few odd contributions for an uncontested race, including $1,000 at the last minute in a 48 hour filing.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. Biancamano took a $2500 loan from Russo.
DeleteHow much money will Ricky allow her to spend before he gives up finally/
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to wrap your head around the depravity of these people as they cloak themselves in the language of the common good at all times.
ReplyDeleteConsider this.
For just a little more money, about $12,000, you can completely fund a project to bring water to an entire village in Africa, including maintenance and monitoring for 5 years.
Or you can create glossy poli-trash for Carmelo Garcia.
We know what you chose last time. We know what you chose this time. We know what you'll choose next time.
But keep telling yourselves you're on the side of the angels.
I am perplexed why Ricky would put his law firm address on his donation. If I was a partner at his firm I would ask him discretely if he's out of his flipping mind.
ReplyDeleteThink of the amazing, wonderful good things Beth and her krew could have done with all that money over the years. Real, true voter education and empowerment, community programming for kids or seniors, bus trips to widen the horizons of those not able to travel as her family does, leveraged additional funds or grants for a real community center. Instead she threw all that money away on hate. Pure hate. Rotting them from the inside, destroying everything they touch. Truly sad. Even they look miserable. With that kind of money and the freedom to toss away $11,000 without flinching, you would think they would look happier. Maybe if they spent it on happy things instead of hate?
ReplyDeleteYou know, that is a good comment. I have stopped thinking long ago about what she could have done but your right. What a stupid waste on hate and attempts to thwart reform.
DeleteBeth Mason was never concerned about anyone or anything other than Beth Mason and only ever saw doing anything even remotely good for others as another means of self-promotion.
DeleteThe total expenditures of the Masons on Beth's failed political ambitions has to be in the millions of dollars.
First of all, I'm not a fan of Garcia or the Masons and I don't live in the 6th ward.
ReplyDeleteI'm not defending what was done here, but I don't think they did anything that violated any rules.
That table shows the contribution limits a Continuing Political Committee can make to other entities. These mailers (based on the images GA posted), although clearly to benefit Garcia, were not contributions to Garcia. The mailers never mention his name or say to vote for him. They only say things about not voting for Giattino and electing a "new councilmember". Technically the "Real Democrats for Hoboken" committee was exercising its right to free speech by sending these mailers. This is the same way PACs are used in larger elections. The PACs are supposed to be run without the involvement of a candidate's campaign and they can't advocate FOR a particular candidate. They typically advocate for an issue or AGAINST a candidate.
If Garcia, or his campaign, had worked with the Real Democrats for Hoboken on this, then the Continuing Political Committee would not be acting independently and then would essentially be an extension of the Garcia campaign. If that were the case, then there definitely would be various campaign finance violations.
You said it yourself: "the contributions were clearly to benefit Garcia."
Delete"Benefit Garcia"= Influence Voter Behavior to Effect Election Outcome (suppress Giattino's vote, proportionally increase Garcia's vote)
Be as weaselly as you like with semantics. The "Real Democrats for Hoboken" mailers WERE a contribution to a single campaign- Garcia's.
It WAS a campaign violation and I expect Hoboken residents tired of this crap (Beth Mason wheeling truckloads of dough to candidates for her rotten scorched earth politics) will be moved to file complaints with the ELEC commission.
Well, Anon, what were the issues being advanced by those vile flyers? I saw no "issues" that were being advocated. They were nothing by a smear job against Jen.
DeleteGood point, QOTV. The flyers were jam-packed with outrageous lies and misrepresentations. It was a SMEAR operation for Garcia outsourced to a PAC.
DeleteSomething that benefits one candidate does not necessarily equate to a contribution. If, of my own initiative and without involvement of any candidate, and I stand on the corner and talk about my negative opinion of a candidate, I am not making a contribution to a candidate even though it benefits them. I am simply exercising my rights to free speech.
DeleteI agree that people can see through this for what it was really meant to be, but my point was that it would be a really far reach for it to actually be a campaign violation.
In many ways this is the difference between the spirit of the law and the letter of the law. On the surface this doesn't seem to violate the letter of the law, but it most definitely violates the spirit of the law.
I'm sure voters can see through this and it obviously didn't work as the Masons expected.
Stuff like this takes place in statewide and nationwide elections all the time. The only time you ever see a PAC get in trouble is when there was involvement from a campaign. They walk right on the edge of the line without quite crossing it. Everyone knows what the PACs are trying to do.
This is why a lot of people are frustrated with the Citizens United decision. But, just as in that case, you can't take away a person's or an entity's right to free speech.
If I created a PAC of my own and mailed out anti-whoever literature without any involvement from a candidate, then it's entirely within my right to freedom of speech.
Again, I'm not questioning the intent of what they were aiming to do, but I am noting that, on the surface, this doesn't appear to violate any of the rules. I wouldn't get your hopes up that there will be an sort of violation found.
A big thank you to the Masons and the Kiems as they were so helpful in letting the voters what an evil, ugly little man their friend Carmelo Garcia is and making sure the good people of the Sixth Ward got out to vote for Jenn Giattino.
DeleteAs they say with friends like the Masons and Kiems who needs enemies.
The Masons have always tried to exist in that murky gray area of ethics where they could continue to do truly reprehensible things but not be held legally responsible.
ReplyDeleteWhile they may not have crossed any legal line they have crossed the ethical lines enough to be held responsible by the voters of Hoboken to the point that anything and anyone they are involved with is viewed as dirty.
I think that is always been the Mason's basic problem is they think just because their political shit falls within the narrow letter of the law, that the people of Hoboken don't think it stinks.
Karma is a much bigger bitch than Beth and has a very long memory.
The Hoboken Reporter is DOOMED.
ReplyDeleteIt is only a matter of time.
The Keim's might have convinced themselves that they have not broken the law with those fliers.
ReplyDeleteIf that is the case, it was only because of a loopholely way the law was written.
No one I know doubts who was meant to benefit from those fliers.
Using a loophole to break the law, might save you from prosecution.
But think about the hypocrisy of what they stand for while breaking the spirit of the law with a loophole in the letter of the law.
The courts might not punish them, maybe a higher power will.
I would not want their Karmic debt.