Monday, July 10, 2006
“Big Brother Is Watching,” Mike Tristano Ally Told Six Years Before Feds Get Him
Here is the rest of the story:
Challenging Hughes for a third time was Steve Verr (R-McHenry).
Clayton’s opponent was Michael Salvi (R-Lake County), brother of Al Salvie (R-Mundelein), former State Representative and unsuccessful GOP U.S. Senate and Secretary of State candidate. House Speaker Lee Daniels’ political operation was deeply involved in both campaigns. A Clayton campaign worker was observed tearing down a large Salvi sign on Route 14 between Palatine and Barrington in the pouring rain the weekend before the primary election.
If “yes,” then The Taxpayers’ Leagure would have to fill campaign disclosure reports with the State Board of Elections. But, with the “no” vote by the Board, the HRCC front group could remain in the shadows.
Initiating the action by the Board of Elections was a citizen complaint by Gerry Walsh of Crystal Lake. Walsh had long has a record of opposing local tax increases. Walsh’s attorney was Steve Verr, the man whom Hughes beat in three primary elections by decreasing margins.
HRCC Paid for Front Group Mailing
“As soon as I saw the mailing, I knew it came from Lee’s operation,” former State Rep. Cal Skinner (R-Crystal Lake) told Illinois Leader. “His assistant, Mike Tristano, had asked me to set up a fake taxpayers’ group to counter Jim Tobin’s group.”
Elections Board staff, after an investigation, came to the same conclusion. Al Zimmer, the Board’s Legal Counsel, reported, “…the funds did originate with the House Republican Campaign Committee, … the candidates were indeed the recipients of them, but neither of those entities has any obligation to report at this point.”
The question before the Board was “whether The Taxpayers’ League by allowing it name to be used as part of a mass mailing, the cost of which was more than $1,000, not in a regular publication, contributed something of value that made them become a political committee under the act,” Zimmer explained.
Verr made the oral case against The Taxpayers’ League. Stanley defended keeping its records secret.
Verr contended that “the League should be the political entity that received the benefit of a $30,000 mailing…that went out to over 50,000 voters…”
He argued, “For the State Board of Elections not to require The Taxpayers’ League to file as a political action committee will give the green light for all kinds of groups to surreptitiously pay for mailigs, announcements, brochures in the name of another group that no one has to be accountable for. Just lost in the shuffle.
“That is not what good government is….That letter was a fraud on every voter that received it,” Verr continued, pointing to the fact that on The Taxpayers’ League letterhead is a statement indicating that a copy of its report as a political action committee is or will be filed with the State Board of Elections.
Because it did not fill a campaign disclosure report, Verr contended, “That’s just a fraud. And everybody that got that would think that The Taxpayer’s Leadue paid for this and it’s a political committee when, in fact, it all came out of the House Republican Campaign Committee, at least by their own admission.”
HRCC Admits It Paid for Front Group Mailings, But Won’t Make Details Public for Over Four Months
A March 1, 1996, letter from HRCC Treasurer Joel Herter to Carl Kramp, President of the “Taxpayer’s League” was included in the information given the State Board. It said Kramp had requested a statement in writing that “the House Republican Campaign Committee paid the entire costs for a mailing of a letter of endorsement by the Taxpayer’s League on behalf of Rep. Anne Hughes and Rep. Vernal Clayton…” and that “The said expenditures, made payable to UNISTAT, will be reported on our semi-annual report in July 1996 with Rep. Hughes and Rep. Clayton benefitting.”
Three years later Kramp was named to the Illinois Tollway Board. He was subsequently re-appointed and continued until Governor Rod Blagojevich replaced him.
To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.
Challenging Hughes for a third time was Steve Verr (R-McHenry).
Clayton’s opponent was Michael Salvi (R-Lake County), brother of Al Salvie (R-Mundelein), former State Representative and unsuccessful GOP U.S. Senate and Secretary of State candidate. House Speaker Lee Daniels’ political operation was deeply involved in both campaigns. A Clayton campaign worker was observed tearing down a large Salvi sign on Route 14 between Palatine and Barrington in the pouring rain the weekend before the primary election.
If “yes,” then The Taxpayers’ Leagure would have to fill campaign disclosure reports with the State Board of Elections. But, with the “no” vote by the Board, the HRCC front group could remain in the shadows.
Initiating the action by the Board of Elections was a citizen complaint by Gerry Walsh of Crystal Lake. Walsh had long has a record of opposing local tax increases. Walsh’s attorney was Steve Verr, the man whom Hughes beat in three primary elections by decreasing margins.
HRCC Paid for Front Group Mailing
“As soon as I saw the mailing, I knew it came from Lee’s operation,” former State Rep. Cal Skinner (R-Crystal Lake) told Illinois Leader. “His assistant, Mike Tristano, had asked me to set up a fake taxpayers’ group to counter Jim Tobin’s group.”
Elections Board staff, after an investigation, came to the same conclusion. Al Zimmer, the Board’s Legal Counsel, reported, “…the funds did originate with the House Republican Campaign Committee, … the candidates were indeed the recipients of them, but neither of those entities has any obligation to report at this point.”
The question before the Board was “whether The Taxpayers’ League by allowing it name to be used as part of a mass mailing, the cost of which was more than $1,000, not in a regular publication, contributed something of value that made them become a political committee under the act,” Zimmer explained.
Verr made the oral case against The Taxpayers’ League. Stanley defended keeping its records secret.
Verr contended that “the League should be the political entity that received the benefit of a $30,000 mailing…that went out to over 50,000 voters…”
He argued, “For the State Board of Elections not to require The Taxpayers’ League to file as a political action committee will give the green light for all kinds of groups to surreptitiously pay for mailigs, announcements, brochures in the name of another group that no one has to be accountable for. Just lost in the shuffle.
“That is not what good government is….That letter was a fraud on every voter that received it,” Verr continued, pointing to the fact that on The Taxpayers’ League letterhead is a statement indicating that a copy of its report as a political action committee is or will be filed with the State Board of Elections.
Because it did not fill a campaign disclosure report, Verr contended, “That’s just a fraud. And everybody that got that would think that The Taxpayer’s Leadue paid for this and it’s a political committee when, in fact, it all came out of the House Republican Campaign Committee, at least by their own admission.”
HRCC Admits It Paid for Front Group Mailings, But Won’t Make Details Public for Over Four Months
A March 1, 1996, letter from HRCC Treasurer Joel Herter to Carl Kramp, President of the “Taxpayer’s League” was included in the information given the State Board. It said Kramp had requested a statement in writing that “the House Republican Campaign Committee paid the entire costs for a mailing of a letter of endorsement by the Taxpayer’s League on behalf of Rep. Anne Hughes and Rep. Vernal Clayton…” and that “The said expenditures, made payable to UNISTAT, will be reported on our semi-annual report in July 1996 with Rep. Hughes and Rep. Clayton benefitting.”
Three years later Kramp was named to the Illinois Tollway Board. He was subsequently re-appointed and continued until Governor Rod Blagojevich replaced him.
To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.
# posted by Cal Skinner : 7:01 AM
