Mapco (R-Rochester) gearing up to fund local 2007 GOP races
The 12/30/06 D&C had an interesting article about Mapco. They’re the ones who donated serious cash to local GOP candidates, won the bid for running parking at the airport, and are getting sued for it, the accusation being that they won because they had inside info on how to bid and inside connections.
Apparently they bought the Civic Center parking garage from the county 3 years ago, to help the county plug one of big holes in their budget. (And donated serious cash to Maggie Brooks’ campaign at the same time.)
And yes, if you’re into noticing trends, and paid attention to the 2007 county budget, the county continues to be all about “1-shot” deals to plug budget gaps now, sacrificing future revenue.
But that’s not the most interesting thing to me about this. The article is all about how Mapco is raising rates at the garage. Big deal? Well, they’ve raised it 40% since taking it over in 2003. That’s pretty significant, since the garage is
…a popular parking venue for jurors and other users of the county Hall of Justice
The other interesting thing is that
Mapco donated more than $22,000 to Republican campaign committeess in the first six months of 2006 and at least $45,000 to the county Republican Party in 2004 and 2005.
County Legislator Ted O’Brien, D-Irondequoit, said of Mapco:
“It seems to me they’re raising fees to pay back the Republican Party locally”
Predictably, the response:
Republican Majority Leader Bill Smith, R-Pittsford, called O’Brien’s comments a “contemptible political smear.”…adding that the Republican majority is doing a good job running the government if the Democrats must resort to such accusations.
HAHAHAHAHA! He’s clever, no doubt about that. Nice “false choice” there, my friend. News flash– it’s not either/or. You can run the county crappily, AND therefore have many, many crappy things to complain about, big and small. And they’re not small if they add up to a trend.
Oh, and it’s not a partisan thang, either. Even friggin’ Bob Lonsberry called foul on these Mapco dealings.
So, is there an easy way to look up who donated what at the local level?
internet movie making is easy. just need a $400 dv camcorder and a $50 mic and some editing software and you’re in business!
[...] Pay to play for GOP donors? Check. [...]
[...] Is another example of the pay-to-play we’ve been talking about, a la Mapco? [...]