The Northwest Herald’s David Fitzgerald had a story Friday about District 300’s most vocal tax hiker–Nancy Zettler–having filed a quarter inch thick complaint against District 300 board victors Monica Clark and John Ryan, plus Jack Roeser’s Family Taxpayers Network.
I’m not about to pay for a quarter inch of paper at 25 cents a page, so an exploration of the charges will have to wait.
The motivation might be that John Ryan successfully complained about lawyer Zetter’s group not having followed the law. The Advance 300 tax hike folks somehow managed to forget that District 300 School Superintendent Ken Arndt gave $600 to the tax hike committee.
They only forgot for about five months, though.
So, here we are, what, three weeks after the campaign and the tax hike committee’s spokesman is apparently bitter about the trouncing her candidates took.
Oh, I forgot.
The tax hike committee didn’t take sides it this election.
They sat on their over $42,000 and just ran a cheap web site campaign.
Or, maybe we’ll see money was spent on other things when its spending report is filed.
I talked to Ryan Firday night and he told me that he had just learned that his committee had spent more than $3,000 recently and filed the necessary registration form with the State Board of Elections on April 30th.
Zetter filed her complaint a couple of hours later, he said.
Is that a coincidence or what?
The NW Herald’s article reports that the Family Taxpayers Network misreported “$1,320 each for yard signs and paid for campaign literature to be mailed out,” according to the article.
Board member-elect Monica Clark got off the best comment:
“Her efforts to discredit me before I have even been officially sworn into the office voters selected me to serve is petty, vindictive and childish.”
The State Board of Elections hearing is scheduled for May 15th.
I can understand Zettler’s frustration.
During the three Republican primary elections I was under siege by Personal PAC, their mailings and phone calls did not show up in campaign disclosure forms until after the primary election.
I think they should show up ahead of the election, but that, apparently, would require a change in state law.
Maybe Zettler’s lobbying can be expanded from trying to raise our income taxes to changing the campaign disclosure laws.
I’d be happy to join her in such an effort.
In this case, however, one would have to be blind not to figure out that the Family Taxpayers Network was helping Clark and Ryan.
Take a look at the return address on the literature.
Come to think of it, Zettler probably included that as evidence in her complaint.
Mr. Skinner:
You fancy yourself a reporter yet you never attempted to get ahold of me, nor did you varify the facts before you “reported” them.
I filed the complaints on April 30th. Ryan, Clark and Roeser were served with copies via certified mail on May 1st. Mysteriously all three filed their reports within hours of each other on the 1st.
As you yourself asked – coincidence or what?
As an interesting aside, while Mr. Ryan backdated his report to April 30th, he didn’t fax it until the 1st. SO if you check the ISBOE website – its listed as being filed on the 1st because that’s when he sent it. Whoever is feeding you the “facts” isn’t being all that honest with you.
However, in the interest of “openess” and because I know that you are all about getting the facts right Mr. Skinner – I would be happy to send you copies of the complaints that I filed, no charge. I’m just surprised that John wouldn’t send his to you. Curious, don’t you think? Hmmm – did you ask?
Finally, I’m sure that you will correct any mistakes that you have in your “article” and if and when Ryan, Clark and Roeser are found guilty and fined – you will completely and fairly “report” that here, right?