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DECIPHERING GELLER'S MURKY CAMPAIGN
FINANCES
July 26, 2010
by Buddy Nevins
Why is former state Senator Steve Geller campaigning
behind a screen of shady political committees?
Geller has his campaign and two political committees
working for his election.
Why?
Maybe because some of the committee money came
from the out-of-state pari-mutuel industry and Big Sugar.
Geller is locked in a political death match with County
Commissioner Sue Gunzburger for the south Broward county
commission district.
Here is the story behind the Geller candidacy’s latest
reporting period between April 1 and July 16:
Geller campaign raised around $40,000.
Geller’s committee, Floridians For A Stronger Tomorrow,
raised $38,000.
That would be enough for most candidates. But Geller
has a third group, a committee called Citizens For Ethical
and Effective Leadership, working for his campaign.
Geller’s Floridians For A Stronger Tomorrow passed
$36,000 to Citizens For Ethical and Effective Leadership
in recent days.
The group suddenly began mailing pro-Geller advertising
into the district. Some of the group’s expenditures
are for the same out-of-town media consultants used
by Geller.
And this group has “ethical” in the title?
After Geller’s committee, the biggest contributor
to the group is $7,000 from Florida Crystals Corporation,
Big Sugar.
One reason Geller is using these committees is that
they don’t operate under the state’s $500-per-donor
limit.
For instance, in the latest reporting period Geller’s
Floridians For A Stronger Tomorrow received two checks
which he couldn’t have accepted in his campaign:
- $20,000 from the Racing Corporation of West Virginia.
He got $10,000 from this same group just before the
previous filing period closed.
- $10,000 from Hazel Park Harness Raceway in Michigan.
Geller also received $1,000 from former losing gubernatorial
candidate Bill McBride. He’s the husband of Alex Sink,
the current Demoratic candidate for governor.
Geller committee got another $5,000 from his law firm
Greenspoon Marder.
That doesn’t explain why he has a second committee
working for him.
The problem in Broward has been that the county commission
is for sale to special interests
Geller is apparently tone deaf.
At a time when the county is trying to pass
tougher ethics requirements for county commissioners,
Geller is using these commitees to accept large contributions
from special interests.
One more point.
Corporations generally don’t give money unless they
get something in return. Donations are a business decision.
Will we ever know why the pari-mutuel industry
is so enamored with Geller? Why is Big Sugar interested
in a Broward campaign?
Is it Geller’s past votes as a senator or his promises
for the future these special interests like?
Hmmmm.
Sue Gunzburger Campaign,
803 N. Southlake Drive, Hollywood, Florida 33019 | 954.923.0803
Contact our campaign. |
