Campaign finance violations — it’s not just Dianne Wilkerson!
House Majority Leader John H. Rogers will pay $30,000 to the state to settle findings that he funneled tens of thousands of dollars from his campaign account to a friend and political adviser, who in turn used the funds to make mortgage payments on a Cape Cod house co-owned by Rogers, according to terms of the settlement to be released today.
Yow. Note, however, that this is a “settlement” with OCPF, not a fine, and the Attorney General’s office did not get involved.
The Office of Campaign and Political Finance stopped short of levying a fine against Rogers; it did not slap him with a violation; and it refrained from sending the matter for criminal proceedings to Attorney General Martha Coakley. Instead, it described Rogers’s $30,000 settlement payment as reimbursement to the agency for expenses it incurred during its investigation of his campaign accounts. The agency decided not to take stronger action against Rogers, it said, because it determined that Rogers’s political advisor, Thomas Drummey, had legitimately earned payments from the Rogers campaign accounts by performing “substantial services” for the campaign.
Duly noted. Still, it seems fair enough to describe what Rogers did as bad behavior, and to predict that this will not help Rogers in his quest to succeed Sal DiMasi as Mistah Speakah.
Oh, and speaking of Wilkerson, she has screwed up again. Unbelievable.
Who gets the $30,000? The state treasury? This sounds like Rogers essentially paid his own mortgage out of campaign funds, and no criminal charges? It’s not right, and I hope everyone who called for Wilkerson’s head on a platter will express similar outrage about this sleazy maneuver by Rogers. Personally, I think the state agencies in charge of overseeing these crooks owe us a better explanation.
“Accomplice” is more like it. Why can’t these people just take their salary and do their damn jobs like everyone else? Their fingers always have to be everywhere, making money, messing around with real estate, goofing off with “friends”.
What’s there to be outraged about? How ’bout these for starters:
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p>#1 that Rogers actually did this crap!!–paying off his Cape Cod vacation home mortgage w/campaign funds funneled thru his “consultant” (accomplice is right, Farnkoff!)
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p>#2 that Rogers seems to have gotten away with it
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p>#3 that the state office (OCPF) charged with overseeing campaign finance did nothing significant about it. Who appoints these people, anyway, and how much are we paying them?
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p>#4 that the deputy director of OCPF, a Mr Brad Balser (per Globe story 9/19/08), said of the OCPF agreemtn to Rep Rogers’ $30k payment to settle the matter that “The settlement speaks for itself”– WTF does that mean???!!!!
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p>The stench from the Hill already was bad but it’s getting overpowering now. This kind of sh*t goes way back, I know, but for me it dates back to the day Jan. 2, 2007 when the State Legislature broke the law (per ruling of the SJC on 3/10/08) by refusing to give our citizens health care constitutional amendment its second duly required up or down vote on its merits so it could then move on to the statewide ballot. BTW John McDonough at HCFA MA at the time, now on Kennedy’s DC staff (groan) had a hand in giving much-needed political cover to that sleazy move. For more on this travesty of justice visit http://healthcareformass.org
heck, I even supported Leah O’Leary when she ran against him in 2006! Shame none of this had come to light then.
why the freag would he pay the $30,000.00 for the state’s cost in investigating his non wrongful act.
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p>HMMMM
What was the name of the guy falsly accused of the atlanta bombings?
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p>Under these new rules he should have paid for the investigation into him.
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…or else we will refer it to a Federal Prosecutor? Who knows?
i forgot the word rhetorical.
but there aren’t many small donors who’s contributions will dry up because he was stealing their money, and the big donors aren’t at all offended that he was using the money for personal gain instead of re-election.
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p>I sure wish the Dems had a more effective way of self-policing and punishing members who appear to have shown poor judgement, due process be damned.
Mista Speaka, a point of order.
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p>Shouldn’t something like sticky fingers automatically be refered to the House Ethics Committee?
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p>Oh yeah, this is Beacon Hill. We don’t have no stinkin ethics.
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p> Hmmmmm?!?
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p>Can you spell shenanigans?
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The next Speaker should be someone who is not ethically challenged. Beacon Hill must send a clear message!
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p>Otherwise, voters will take it in their own hands and pass something like Question One.
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p>Ive said many times that someone like Representative Ted Speliotis of Danvers would make Democrats proud as a Speaker.
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p>And no, I am not the person I believe should be Speaker. I imagine this is a headache Ted wouldn’t want anyway.
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p>It is too bad for the Commonwealth that someone clean wouldn’t want to lead the House.
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p> Yes we can!
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