Anna Little’s Campaign Falls to Respond to FEC Inquiry

Monmouth GOP Headquarters. Who's missing? Click on photo for full view

Anna Little’s congressional campaign has failed to respond to the Federal Election Commission’s demands for accurate information about the campaign’s finances.

As reported by MMM on September 12,  the FEC wrote Little’s husband and campaign treasurer, Rob Little, three separate letters in late August regarding serious deficiencies in the campaign’s April 2012 quarterly report, the 12 day pre-primary report, and the June 2012 quarterly report.  The April and pre-parimary reports lacked donor information.  The July report, which reported a negative cash balance of over $11,000, did not jibe with the previous two reports.  The FEC demanded that all of the reports be ammended and that they be filed electronically.  The deadline for the April amendment was September 28.  The pre-primary report amendment was due on October 1 and the July amendment was due yesterday.  None of the amendments are posted in the FEC website.

The FEC’s letters stated in bold print that requests for extensions would not be considered and that failure to comply could result in audits and enforcement action.

The FEC analysts who wrote to Little referred MMM to the press office.  The press office spokewoman told MMM that reports that are filed electronically are posted to the commission’s website “almost immediately.”  Reports that are submitted via paper are posted “within 48 hours.”   The spokeswoman twice suggested that MMM contact the campaign. “It will be interesting to hear what they have to say,” she said.

Rob Little told MMM that he received the letters and referred them to the campaign’s compliance officer.  Little declined to give the name of the compliance officer, stating, “you’re going to twist whatever I say.”

Speaking of twisted….

The Little campaign yesterday emailed a fundraising appeal declaring that her race against Congressman Frank Pallone is winnable based on Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press polling data.

The email, signed by “Anna,” cited Monmouth University Polling Director Patrick Murray’s statewide poll released last week  that measured the favorability ratings to potential Democratic gubernatorial challengers to Governor Chris Christie in 2013.  Pallone scored a statewide favorability rating of 16% statewide (17% among Republicans), 9% unfavorable and 75% had no opinion.  Little compared that poll to a October 2010 Monmouth survey of the old 6th congressional district that indicated Pallone was beating Little in that race by 53% to 41%.

Little’s email told her prospective donors:

THE RACE IS WINABLE

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FEC to Anna Little: You’ve got some ‘splaining to do

“Please file an amendment to your report to accurately disclose your financial activities.”

The Federal Election Commission wrote Anna Little’s congressional campaign three times during the month of August to demand that her campaign finance reports comply with federal law.

The letters were addressed to Little’s opposite sex husband, Robert Lee Little III, the campaign’s fourth treasurer this year.

On August 24th  FEC analyst Carolina Cavana wrote the male Little informing him that the campaign’s April 2012 quarterly report failed to adequately disclose the identity of donors who contributed $200 or more to the campaign.  The campaign must disclose the missing information or prove that it made a good faith effort to obtain the information.  The answer is due by September 28th and there will be no further notice given, unless Rob reads MMM.

Another FEC analyst, Brian Jones, wrote to Little III, who is Treasurer IV, on August 27 to inform him that the 12 day pre-primary report, filed on June 27 three weeks after the primary,  is also missing the donor information that April report was missing.  The answer to that letter is due on October 1.

Jones wrote again on August 28 detailing 4 problems with the July 2012 quarterly report including contributions accepted for the primary campaign, post primary, beginning balances that did not match ending balances for the April report, and a ending cash balance of negative $11,321.08 in the July report.

Your report discloses a negative ending cash balance of $11,321.08. This suggests that you have overdrawn your account, made a mathematical error, or incurred a debt. If your committee has incurred a debt or obligation, please itemize this debt on Schedule D, show a zero balance on Line 8 of the Summary Page and include the amount on Line 10. If the negative ending cash balance is a result of an overdraft, it may constitute a prohibited bank contribution unless it is made on an account that has automatic overdraft protection with usual and customary interest rates and a definite repayment schedule. Please file an amendment to your report to accurately disclose your financial activities.

The answer to the August 28 letter is due on October 2.

If you missed the bake sale or the bikini car wash, you can support Little’s campaign by purchasing a lawn sign for $26.

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Gopal calls out Little and Smith over Kyrillos tax stance

The following is a release from Monmouth County Democratic Chairman Vin Gopal on behalf of Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (Monmouth-6) and Brian Froelich (Monmouth-4) – Democratic Candidates for US Congress in Monmouth County:

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Poltical Animals and other musings

I didn’t make the Highlands council meeting last night as I was dining in Princeton with Poltical Animals star Sigourney Weaver.

Not really.  Weaver was leaving the Blue Point Grill as my party was entering.  And we had the same waitress.  Still it was cool.  Other than politicians and pundits this was my closest celebrity encounter since Bette Midler walked in on me in a Fort Lauderdale Airport mens room.

Political Animals is a fun watch.

Weaver plays a former first lady, Elaine Barrish, who ran for president, lost the Democratic primary, divorced her philandering husband and became Secretary of State for the president who beat her in the primary.  In the most recent episode, Barrish tells the president that she is going to run against him again, but not before she councils him to do something more heroic than killing Bin Laden and her ex-husband ex-president punches out the vice president in the oval office.

While all of that high drama is going on, Barrish’s “bad son,” a gay piano player who was outed while growing up in the White House, is in the hospital recovering from a drug overdose and her “good son” is joining the mile high club with a reporter who buried the overdose story while the good son’s fiancee is smoking pot with Barrish’s mother.

Must see TV.

I heard the Highlands council did not vote to put the flood mitigation plan on the November ballot as a non-binding referendum and that Councilman Chris Francy did not deny that he kept the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers off his property when they wanted to study an alternate plan of flood mitigation.  When asked about that during the public portion of the meeting, I’m told that Francy said, “that article on the Internet was not really an article, but a blogger’s opinion.”

Whatever.  They’ve done the right thing so far.  I hope the governing body doesn’t drop the issue now.

The political animals in the NJ GOP were crazier today than the TV show.

The Bergen Record ran a piece by their Washington Correspondent Herb Jackson, GOP Senate candidate Joe Kyrillos open to tax hikes.

By early afternoon, Kyrillos issued a press release stating that he doesn’t favor raising taxes.  He wants to lower tax rates and close loopholes.

12th District GOP congressional candidate Eric Beck, the guy running against Rush Holt, issued two press releases.  The first one was announcing that he disagrees with Kyrillos on taxes.  The second one was announcing that Huffington Post  and Politickernj picked up the first one.  Beck’s campaign manager, Chris Pordon, who got his start in politics working for Kryillos, has been breaking his back trying to get free media for Beck.  He got some today, including this mention on MMM for which he’s been dogging me.

Anna Little has not issued a press release throwing Kyrillos under the bus.   Michele Bachman endorsed Little and the Bayshore Tea Party is having a bake sale fundraiser for her. Really.  What’s next, a car wash? No bikinis. Please.

In Bergen County, Republican County Executive Kathleen Donovan is suing the Republican controlled Freeholder Board to prevent them from dissolving the Bergen County Police.

Kyrillos announced that he will release three years of tax returns at a press conference tomorrow.  Senator Bob Menendez responded that he will release five years of tax returns at a press conference next week.

Not a bad day for the Democrats given all the Republican self inflicted wounds.

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Flooding in Highlands

Flooding is a serious problem in Highlands.

Highlands resident Derek Gordon street kayaking after this afternoon's storm. Photo credit: Brian Cobb

The center of town, which is both residential and business, is at a lower elevation than the shore line. During a storm, water comes from the Sandy Hook Bay/Shrewsbury River and storm water comes rushing down to the below sea level downtown from “the hill,” the highest elevation on the east coast of the United States which includes parts of Highlands and the Monmouth Hills section of Middletown. During a big storm at high tide and a full moon, downtown Highlands looks like Venice without the charm and romance.

Councilman Chris Francy convinced the rest of the governing body to have T&M Associates, the borough’s engineers, design a flood mitigation system that includes new pumps and pipes to get the water out of town and back into the bay/river.   The project is said to be “shovel ready” and will cost roughly $4 million dollars.  The governing body is applying to FEMA to cover $2.2 million of the cost.  Congressman Frank Pallone is on board to advocate for the project with FEMA.  At a town hall meeting on Monday night, Francy, Pallone and Mayor Frank Nolan said that Highlands is currently number three on FEMA’s list of such projects in New Jersey but that only two will be approved.  Pallone is working to get Highlands bumped up on the list and secure the funding.  That might be good for Highlands and bad for a community along the Passaic River.

The governing body is set to vote on a resolution tonight that will put the project on the ballot in November as a non-binding referendum.  The referendum would ask the voters consent to fund the entire project without FEMA money.

There’s two problems with this scenario.

Read the rest of this entry »

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The Little Event

For more photos, click here

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Because you asked…

Several readers have asked if I was going to attend and report on the Anna Little/Christine O’Donnell event.  None offered the $250 price of admission.

But, because you asked, I drove by Lakeside Manor and took this photo at 6:30, 1/2 hour after the event was scheduled to start. 

There were about 35 cars in the lot.

Red Bank GOP Municipal Chairman Jack Minton was outside with a red drink in a martini glass.

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Tonight’s the night!

Patriot Ticket $250

Co-Host Sponsorship $2,500

Other Sponsorships Available – Please Call for Details

~ RSVP TODAY – Space is Limited ~

Call 732-658-5461

Please Mail Event Contribution Checks To: Friends of Anna Little P.O. Box 382, Highlands, NJ 07732

Please Include: Employer and Occupation in the memo line (Information Required by Federal/State Law – if self employed list ‘self’ and industry ie: Attorney)

~Thank You to Our Host Committee ~

Municipal Chair of Old Bridge, Anita Greenburg, Assemblyman Rob Clifton, President of Affiliated Republican Club Wayne Pomanowski & Mayor Fred Rast of Atlantic Highlands

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What’s next, a bake sale?

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Loser of the week

From Politickernj:

Anna Little

The erstwhile revolutionary 6^th Congressional District challenger has a credibility problem after her inflated ego ticked off nearly everyone around her during her doomed 2010 general election campaign. The solution? Bring in a solid GOP star to prop up her candidacy, someone like Christine “I am not a witch” O’Donnell. Yeah, that’ll work, Anna.

 

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