October
2006
Reynolds Collusion with Special Interest Group Illegal
It's just not possible.
State Senator Tom Reynolds would likely want us to think that he wasn't colluding with the Michigan-based special interest group "All Children Matter" but one look at the campaign piece the pro-voucher group mailed recently and you know that claim wouldn't hold water.
Pictured on the inside is Reynolds talking with two women and a man. (Presumingly about what a great guy they think he is.) They're tight — as in tight enough to show every single one of them without gaps between them. These people aren't just close — they're touching. It's a fairly common pose that's used in campaign material but the photographer always has to tell the people to squeeze in a little closer. Normal people don't talk to each other with shoulders that are nearly touching. The posed photo was either set up and paid for by All Children Matter, or it's a Reynolds campaign photo.
As for the message, it's a lauding of Reynolds backed up with vague language. For instance, this group says Reynolds is "working for better schools" and that he supports "educational options". The only way this can be true is if you think that parents (including Reynolds) who choose to home school their children deserve a fat tax break. If you think that Reynolds should benefit from a tax break he clearly authored to benefit himself then I suppose you could claim that he's working for schooling on some level.
But the piece isn't taking that approach. There's no mention of how it will benefit Reynolds himself. There's no mention of how Reynolds operates on what appears to be a universe of only himself and a few friends. There's no mention of how he uses his campaign funds to pay his personal utility bills. No, there's no mention of how padding your own pocket with home school legislation and your utility bills with campaign funds isn't exactly kosher.
Jim McGuigan
Jim McGuigan, Reynolds Watch, Watchdogging Campaigns
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Do we think the photo was arranged by All Children Matter?
Or is it similar to photos that Reynolds is using in his own literature, used to make it look like any other piece of Reynolds literature?
Pass on lies about the utility bills and we’ll include you in the lawsuit. Refer to Kasten vs Garvey and Goldwater suits. Get an attorney.
We go with Gretchen Schuldt on this one. Gretchen — a longtime Journal Sentinel reporter who was a contributor to WatchdogMilwaukee before starting her own blog, Milwaukee Rising — broke the Reynolds utility bill scam a couple of weeks ago. This past Sunday, she answered objections from Reynolds associate Bob Donahl on her blogsite:
– Reynolds camp can\’t get its story straight on utility charges –
http://www.milwaukeerising.blogspot.com/
(scroll down to her October 15 post)
And Donahl, if the utility bills are for the print shop, as you say, how can that be legal?
Campaign finance reports do not work like tax reports for a business owner. If you have a home business, you can claim a portion of your energy and phone bills as a legit business expense. At-home energy costs as a campaign expense is a no-no.
Obviously, you guys are using the Reynolds print shop to run lit for the campaign, but why would you claim an energy cost as an itemized campaign expense? Energy is a legit business overhead and would naturally be included in what the print shop bills the campaign, the same way Reynolds bills other clients. It is just part of the cost of printing. If in fact you meant to itemize the energy cost of printing, why would you even do so? And why offer it as an explanation or excuse, when it is a campaign finance violation all the same?
I can\’t decide whether you guys are crooked or stupid.
By the way, is the Reynolds campaign now paying J.J. Blonien for the campaign work he does for Reynolds? Or are state taxpayers still paying that?
If taxpayeres are still paying for Blonien, Reynolds is a crook.
Reynolds used campaign money to pay for his home’s utility bills. Dohnal says this is a lie even though it is in Reynold’s campaign reports filed with the state elections board and threatens legal action.
Dohnal has published on a bunch of blogs a false claim about Sullivan that he knew was false 5 years before and is clearly a case of mistaken identity. Knowingly disseminating false information with the express purpose of influencing an election is a civil forfeiture.
Priceless!
I vote for stupid.
Only a moron would scam his campaign for chump change like this and only an idiot would invite such unwanted attention.