UPDATE (by David): Alert commenter amicus notes below that the Herald has endorsed “anybody but Wilkerson” in next week’s primary.
Wilkerson’s OCPF report is up, and it has some pretty interesting numbers
For someone with such a long history of campaign finance violations, you would think she wouldn’t have so many questionable expenditures and reimbursements.
Here’s a few things of note:
– $28,200 in reimbursements to herself. With the exception of $5000 listed as reimbursements to a staff member and $4,500 for travel & cell phone bills, none of the other reimbursements are line-itemed.
The September 2005 investigation into Wilkerson’s campaign finances lodged a complaint against $18,277 in personal reimbursements for which Wilkerson was unable to provide a legitimate campaign-related purpose. Is this more of the same?
– A whopping $14,670 in consulting fees paid to her son, Kendall Wayne Mills
That same Sept 2005 investigation pointed to $15,500 in “consulting fees” paid to individuals, including Wilkerson’s sons Cornell & Kendall, for which she was unable to provide a legitimate campaign-related purpose.
– $2200 paid to her son for the stated purpose of “GMAC,” which is a financial institution.
The June 2006 investigation into Wilkerson’s campaign finance reports questioned a $1383 payment to GMAC on behalf of her son. Now she’s doing it again?
Those are the big ones. A couple of other interesting tidbits:
– $586 in fees paid to the bank for insufficient or uncollected funds?
– $2700 paid to Mukiya Baker Gomez for consulting fees.
Funny, didn’t I see Gomez’s name on a letter to the editor written to Globe on Wilkerson’s behalf a few months ago? Does Wilkerson have to pay people to write letters for her?
– $500 to the US Treasury for a 50/c13 Application? I wonder what that’s all about.
Oh and while Wilkerson may have $16,415 in cash on hand, she still has $119,720.40 in reported liabilities
There’s plenty more in there worth taking a look!
It’s either a typo; a fraud; or the beginning of a great joke.
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501(c)(13) is a not-for-profit Cemetary company owned and operated for the benefit of its members. $500 is a user fee that the applicant has to paid to the IRS for the review and approval of such application.
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Better, double check those voters’ pulse on election day.
‘The Dianne Wilkerson Rest Home for Viciously Unelected Members of the Great and General Court’?
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A charitable organization, where they can flock and tell each other how dey wuz robbed?
After I made my joke, I realized – the only place a politician can donate campign funds when they close their OCPF account is to – another politician, their party, or…AN ORGANIZED CHARITY!!!
She’s set up an organized charity to take the leftover funds from the campaign, no?
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Geez, if she gets elected the voters get everything they deserve.
Nice catch, Mr. Porcupine!!!
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What a f-cking scumbag, that Wilkerson.
I’m working for her opponent and all, but that’s kind of low. She is still a State Senator. She has done good work. Let’s give her a little respect while we beat her in the primary.
Sorry, I think if you look through my comments and diaries you will see that I never have used this sort of language to describe a candidate or officeholder. But this goes beyond politics-as-usual into the realm of repeated, knowing, and blatent flouting of the finance rules. It’s in your face corruption, and she doesn’t even do a good job covering it up or acting as if she cares.
is that such language reflects more on the speaker than the person being described. not trying to be sanctimonious, but when you use words that don’t have any actual meaning, except the meaning of personal negativity, that’s the result.
Great job StemCellular.
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Wilkersons past problem have been documented but there was a time that the Globe & Herald would have been all over this story daily.
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Now it takes the Globe two weeks to publish an obit for former School Committee member Pixie Palladino (with a reference to Louise Day Hicks as another local mother)
http://news.bostonhe…
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But I saw it on BMG first! Whither the Globe?
“For 12 years of taking them for granted, the Second Suffolk voters should elect anyone other than Dianne Wilkerson.”
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I don’t think I’ve ever heard a newspaper endorsement quite like that before.
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Good for the Herald. (I’ll bet I’m not the only one who wishes we could take them and the Globe, put them in a bag, and shake them up — come out with a paper that shares the Globe’s rational, non-sensationalized style of journalism, and the Herald’s straight-forward approach to shooting down BS.)
“Anybody But Corrupt Dianne”
Is anyone on the ballot? Is it all stickers?
Samiyah qualified to be listed on the GOP ballot when she launched her bid against Dianne in February. No one will be listed on the Democratic ballot, so four candidates: Dianne, Samiyah, Sonia and John (sounds like the refrain from a folk song, doesn’t it?) all are seeking the Democratic endorsement by write in or sticker voters on September 19. The Democratic nominee will face Samiyah in November, unless Samiyah wins on the 19th in both primaries. If that happens, Samiyah will need to choose which nomination to accept and clinch the election in November.
But they’ll probably be needing to run a write in against the Democratic nominee….
This was an interesting post, very disturbing news.
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However, I have a disclosure question.
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1. The original post mentioned nothing about StemCellular.
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2. Then David added a note saying “this compilation came from a Wilkerson opponent” or something like that. I didn’t know if that meant StemC works for a Wilkerson opponent, or if simply StemC posted something from an opponent’s website or whatever.
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3. Now David’s note is amended, instead points out the Herald ABD thing.
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Can someone clarify?
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I don’t care either way, just like to know source.
But I still DO think it’s ODD to have the IRS application on your campaign finance report. And a charity IS one of the few places you can put left-over campaign money.
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IS THIS COMMON? Do we HAVE the Bulger Gambling Rehabilitation Foundation? The Finneran Abstainence Society? Is THIS why we have seen a recent spate of ‘charity’ golf torunaments (where the legislator has sometimes not actually ORGANIZED the charity until after the event?). So they can keep their money working for them even afer they have left, by administering a ‘charity’?
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In the Senator’s case, merely reimbursing herself would swallow up any left-overs, but what about others?
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Full disclosure – the legislator I know best split his between the GOP and the Salvation Army, so I never thought about it before.
i think –
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chang-diaz sent a direct mail piece, and then StemC just posted it?
Parts of the exchange between Dianne Wilkerson and Sonia Chang-Diaz will air tonight on Neighborhood Network News (Camcast Channel 9 in Boston). The show starts 11 p.m., and a 4-minute segment on the two candidates kicks in a few minutes into the show. This was from the Sept. 12 forum hosted by the Ward 11 and 19 Democratic Committees.