The PAC next door

Perhaps you've read about an "ambiguous PAC" that is allegedly targeting Hoboken incumbent council candidates, a rumor being propagated by some, including incumbent Council candidate Tiffanie Fisher.  

As for ambiguous PACs, Hoboken is a dark money magnet. And of all 50 Shades of Dark Money, the darkest originates from a type of PAC called an Independent Expenditure (or "IE").  

IEs are the offspring of 2010's Supreme Court decision, Citizens United vs Federal Election Committee. The ruling removed all restrictions on independent expenditures for political communications by corporations, including nonprofit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.  No spending limits but with a caveat: the PAC's political communications (which can advocate for the election or defeat of a candidate) must NOT be made in cooperation, consultation or concert with or at the request or suggestion of a candidate, candidate's committee or political party. 

In other words, IEs operate in the dark from the candidate or political party for whom it advocates.  

The only sunshine on IEs operating in New Jersey is that that they must register and file reports to the state's Election Law Enforcement Commission (NJ-ELEC). The public is supposed to see who the contributors are and where their disbursements are going.  Well...

Not necessarily. In fact some IEs move around massive amounts of money between corporations, unions, other PACS.  So if a PAC that donated the state contribution limit directly to a candidate, the same PAC can concurrently dump unlimited amounts of money into an IE to spend or move into another IE and another...  

In that case, receipts and disbursements reported to ELEC only show movement of money, not on which candidates it was spent. Would you like to see an example?

This ELEC report for an IE called Growing Economic Opportunities shows receipts of $500,000 and expenditures of $1,258,122.66  for the reporting period from July 1-September 30, 2017.   Who contributed the $500,000?  

$500,000 in receipts came from Eastern Region Organizing Fund.  

And  how was $1,250,000 spent?  ( $8,122.66 went to operating expenses.) 

All $1,250,000 went to another IE called "Committee to Build the Economy" whose purpose is to "accept contributions to support of oppose local NJ state or local candidates."  The purpose of donor IE Growing Economic Opportunities was "to support candidates who favor economic growth, investment in infrastructure and other sound public policies"

The final 2017 report on file for "Committee to Build the Economy" shows total the IE's total receipts were $6,637,300 and and total expenditures were $6,572,755.36.   Some of that money appears to have gone to Washington DC. consultants for polling, canvassing, management, attorneys; some stayed in New Jersey for advertising, media/cable TV, attorneys.   

But which candidates did these IEs support or oppose?  

THE "AMBIGUOUS PAC" 

Calling an IE "ambiguous" is like calling the Pope Catholic.  The "ambiguous PAC" (NJ Community Initiatives) alleged to be coming to clobber Hoboken council incumbents is an IE. So was Stronger Foundations who intervened in the 2017 election.

NJ Community Initiatives opened in July, so there is little on file.  The IE reports its goal is to raise $150,000 of which 20% will be spent out-of-state, leaving $100,000 to be spent inside New Jersey. Their stated agenda is "to strengthen NJ communities by promoting social justice and to independently support candidates on a local and state level who share the organization's vision for a better New Jersey."   The  PAC's principals are based in Bloomfield and Hopewell, NJ. 

GA would like to know the basis for rumors that this PAC is going after Hoboken incumbents.

I don't doubt dark money is headed our way, like last year's creepy "New Jersey Democracy in Action" that sent citywide mailers and set up a web site.   GA found direct linkage to Ruben Ramos.  Where is the linkage that Fisher and others are claiming? That is a real question-- contact me if you know the answer.   

THE PAC NEXT DOOR

Dark money is not just a huge problem here. GA found 27 IEs registered in New Jersey. Their party affiliations are 4 non-partisan, 5 Republican, and 18 Multi-Purpose, their locations  are 18 statewide, and others in scattered municipalities, including Newark, Hackensack and Jersey City. Right next door!

More on that later...