Two of the candidates in the 39th are really going after each other. According to the Brooklyn Paper, Skaller started the latest round of attacks:
the Working Families Party and its offshoot, a for-profit company
called Data and Field Services. In a small part of an emerging,
citywide scandal, first reported by City Hall, a political newspaper,
Lander, like other WFP-endorsed candidates, allegedly received
significantly more field assistance from the party via its sister
organization than what he and the other pols disclosed in their filings
with the Campaign Finance Board.
Recent forms show Lander paid $7,300 to Data and Field Services for
“consulting” work, an amount that Skaller says is far below the true
value of the company’s street-campaigning for the candidate, who is one
of five men hoping to represent a Council district that includes parts
of Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, the Columbia Street Waterfront
District, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington and Borough Park.
The Campaign Finance Board has not found any wrongdoing by Lander,
though it said that it is monitoring for illegal “coordination” between
candidates and outside groups, such as the Working Families Party and
Data and Field Services, which are making their impact felt in other
races, such as DeBlasio’s quest for public advocate.
Perhaps in retaliation, Brad Lander’s campaign released this salvo:
are disappointed — on behalf of taxpayers and the City’s landmark
campaign finance system — that Josh Skaller is yet again refusing to
play by the rules.
“We have learned that the Skaller campaign is operating a campaign
office, without reporting the existence of the office or paying rent
for it.
“The existence of the Skaller campaign office is clear.
The Skaller Campaign has sent out invitations to volunteers on multiple
occasions to visit its campaign office at 1205 8th Avenue. The
campaign’s communications director bragged about the office’s January
opening in a letter published in a local weekly newspaper in June.
“Campaign offices traditionally account for a substantial
percentage of a campaign’s expenditures, yet there is no disclosure of
expenditure for office space, nor an in-kind donation on his campaign
finance report. The failure to report the office is apparently an
attempt to evade the Campaign Finance Board’s tight expenditure limits.
“We have requested a campaign finance board audit of Josh Skaller’s
financial reporting and the withholding of public funds until such time
as the Skaller campaign can account for the use of this office space
and provide proper documentation.
This explains why Lander’s people have been crawling all over Carroll Gardens over the past week. I received visits at my door two days running! I don’t trust the man.
The Lander campaign has now engaged in the ultimate slash and mask politics. They’ve been caught violating the rules and they are engaging in distraction tactics. I’ve seen this many times before and I know a lame bull when I see one.
The Skaller campaign has an agreement with the landlord to use a portion of their living space. It is a written agreement effective as of last December. It was submitted to the CFB and the CFB conducted a site audit at the campaign office on June 29. Everything has been thoroughly vetted and accounted for.
The CFB and the campaign are in discussions as to whether or not the space should be treated as an in-kind contribution. Originally, we were given advice that the space, if it had no commercial market rate, would not count. After the audit, the CFB asked for more information about the space, which we have provided to them. If the CFB deems the space to be a contribution, we will value it and list it as such. That final ruling has not been made at this time.
But let’s be clear as to what this really is – another distraction from the Lander campaign, which is now up to its neck in deception and dirty politics. Brooklynites want real reform, and they know that the only candidate with a record of transparency and independent leadership is Josh Skaller.
This is kind of funny. Brad Lander’s press release states that he has learned about the existence of the Skaller campaign office. Then he says read about it in June. Did it take him (or his staff) that long to figure out what the communication director was talking about?
He also claims that the Skaller campaign has not reported the existence of the campaign office and then talks about invitations the campaign sent out and the previously mentioned newspaper article. How can the Skaller claim pretend not to have a campaign office and brag about it at the same time.
Whether one chooses to call it an attack or not, it seems legitimate for the Skaller campaign to point to the City Hall News article, which raises some very serious questions about the Working Families Party and their affiliate Data and Field Services and what could be serious flouting of campaign laws.
And the story doesn’t even broach the fraternal bond between the WFP and Atlantic Yards-supporting ACORN, which has received at least $1.5 MILLION from Forest City Ratner (http://atlanticyardsreport.blogspot.com/2009/01/more-details-emerge-about-forest-city.html). The fact that the WFP, DFS and ACORN all share the same offices (2 Nevins Street) doesn’t begin to tell the story of the connections among all three (http://www.anitamoncrief.blogspot.com/2009/04/nadler-acorn-and-working-families-party.html).
Yes, one can say that ACORN does a lot of good work, but the organization is certainly not without its serious blemishes. And ACORN and the WFP are in lock-step.
Not sure if this is the place to post this, but I found this trailer for a flick about the Atlantic Yards issue. I want to post it around, but dunno where is the best place! Anyway, here it is. Share it if you dig it:
http://www.rumur.com/battle