Former Gang of Three member and Senator Pedro Espada is known for his deliberate snubbing of campaign finance rules and regulations. For months he has owed tens of thousands of dollars for violating various statutes and has shown he could care less about them. So it wasn't surprising to have seen an invitation go out for a fundraiser in his honor that yet again flaunted the law.
From The Daily Politics:
The senator, who missed five state Board of Elections deadlines for filing campaign disclosure reports and also owed (as of November) $61,750 worth of penalties to the CFB in connection with his 2001 City Council run, has stumbled yet again - this time sending out a fundraising invite emblazoned with his official state Senate seal.
(Espada has filed some of his 2008 reports, but the bulk of them - including the most recent Jan. 15, 2009 filing - have yet to appear on the board's Web site).
Using one's public office for political purposes is a big no-no.
Andrew Yong, Espada's chief of staff, immediately acknowledged the error when it was brought to his attention and said it will be fixed ASAP. He suggested the mistake was made by a new staffer who isn't yet aware of the campaign finance rules.
Uh-huh, sure. The "new staffer" excuse is an old one in politics and rarely is it honest. If the guy or girl was so new, someone should have been double checking their work. It is common sense to make sure proper procedure is followed and all laws are obeyed. The fact is, if this new staffer had good role models (like the Senator himself) perhaps he or she would have not committed the error in the first place. It isn't like not using the seal is an old arcane law to be followed, it is one of the first things a staffer should know when walking into the office for the very first time.
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