Brock’s Whoops and Picking Your Battles

UPDATE: Today’s May 16 and I just got another one of those campaign e-mails at my work e-mail address today.

Hmmm.

Jack McCullough

Well,whoops, Randy Brock’s campaign sent out fundraising solicitations to lobbyists during the legislative session. Three different lobbyists received multi page fundraising letters according to Seven Days.

Three different registered lobbyists provided Seven Days with copies of a two-page fundraising solicitation dated April 18 that was addressed and mailed to their offices in Montpelier. One lobbyist also shared two emails the Brock campaign sent to his work email address during the session containing news on the campaign and links to the “donate” page on the Brock for Governor website.

This solicitation is an apparent violation of part of Vermont campaign finance law that has been trampled on before. Both Peter Shumlin and former Governor Jim Douglas to various degrees have been there and done that. Brock campaign manager Darcie Johnson (formerly of Vermonters for Healthcare Freedom) noted it was a “mistake” and beside that, a disclaimer for lobbyists that might receive the solicitation was included.

And there is this interesting comment by VDP Chairman Jake Perkinson about the lack of enforcement. When asked why he didn’t pursue a complaint with Attorney General Sorrell as he had in the past Perkinson said:

"Frankly, I'm getting frustrated at being the campaign finance police," Perkinson responded. "The last time we filed a complaint, the attorney general didn't do anything about it. At a certain point, you've got to pick your battles."

 

5 thoughts on “Brock’s Whoops and Picking Your Battles

  1. I’ve been getting these at work. I’ve been unclear whether they’ve been using the Bar list or the lobbyist registry, but either way I’m not crazy about getting campaign solicitations at work.

  2. The agenda for the VDP state committee meeting this weekend reportedly includes petitions from both TJ Donovan and Bill Sorrell seeking the party’s endorsement.

    Should be an exciting meeting.

    NanuqFC

    In a Time of Universal Deceit, TELLING the TRUTH Is a Revolutionary Act. ~ George Orwell  

  3. “This solicitation is an apparent violation of part of Vermont campaign finance law”

    It must not be against the law since there’s been no prosecution.

    For that matter, lying to the legislature and PSB is clearly not illegal, either.

    Sorrell is clearly ‘picking is battles’ by not prosecuting all law breakers, only some of them.  Is he understaffed?  Is he underbudgeted?  Or does he only pick the low-hanging fruit?

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