Please allow El Somnambulo to apologize to the (presumably) fine folks at the Caesar Rodney Institute. Yesterday’s article was, by necessity, incomplete. He feels confident that, upon further examination, the Institute will be revealed as a great place where good folks do great things in a non-partisan manner for the citizens of Delaware.
In typically haphazard fashion, the Beast Who Slumbers had profiled only Barrett Kidner, the Chairman and CEO of CRI. It is most likely that his partisan ties and lobbying interests do not reflect the remainder of this board. So, let’s go to the record.
Ken Grant, Board Member-Without providing a scintilla of evidence or attribution, Delaware Dem accused Ken Grant of previously working for the State Republican Party. Just because his own bio reads that:
In 2001, Ken worked in the political arena for a number of years and drafted press releases, coordinated press events, trained candidates and committees on media relations, and kept an open line of communication with reporters and editors throughout the state…
nowhere does it state that he worked for the Republicans. So… oopsies… wait a minute, turns out that Ken Grant was employed by the Delaware State Republican Committee, at least in August, 2006, and represented them in an official capacity. Apologies to Del Dem, Grant was the R’s media mouthpiece. And why does that August 2006 date ring a taco bell? That’s right. Allow ‘bulo to quote from former Republican Party operative and current CRI Policy Director Garrett Wozniak:
“After graduating from the University of Delaware’s MPA program in May 2006, I began working as the Campaign Coordinator for the Delaware Republican Party. Following the 2006 election, I became the Executive Director of the Delaware GOP…”
So, both Wozniak and Grant worked for the Delaware GOP at the same time in 2006. Both now have leadership positions in CRI. However, before anyone jumps to conclusions, is it not at least plausible that these two earnest co-workers formed a pact at that time to set partisanship aside and ultimately work for…non-partisan good government?
Conspiracy theorists, please set aside your conspiratorial inclinations until all the facts are presented.
Bob Prybutok, Board Member-Mr. Prybutok has a distinguished career in business, as evidenced by his bio.
Polymer Technologies, a Newark, Delaware-based maker of noise-control products with 105 employees, says it may shift to less costly healthcare coverage because of the high cost of continuing to insure employees on leave under the act. Health insurance costs the company as much as $20,000 per worker, President Robert Prybutok said. “This has occurred several times already, he said. “It’s making us rethink the offering of such an expensive benefit.”
Mr. Prybutok also is a generous contributor to the Republican National Committee:
Prybutok, Robert R. Mr. Polymer Technologies Inc./President $1,000 09/09/2008 P
Hmmm, vocal opponent of Family Leave and Republican contributor. ‘Bulo fears there may be a pattern taking shape here.
John Sigler, Board Member-Holy Toro! El Somnambulo does not believe this:
Sigler has served as a member of the Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association of America, Inc. since 1996 and is the immediate past president of that organization.
Got that? The immediate past president of the National Rifle Association is on the Board of Directors of this non-partisan institute. Any media outlet even considering labeling CRI as an honest broker must keep this fact in mind.
But, Sigler’s more than that. From his NRA biography:
Sigler is very active in local and state politics, serving as an executive committee member for the Delaware Republican Party; a co-founder of the pro-gun Delaware Foundation for Legislative Action; a member of the board of directors of the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association; and a registered lobbyist.
As if that’s not enough, he also works for a firm that is providing private contractual services to the State of Delaware. According to his bio:
“Sigler is an attorney admitted to the practice of law in both Delaware and Maryland, currently employed as General Counsel and Chief Legal Officer for the corporate group known as Psychotherapeutic Services which provides mental and behavioral health services pursuant to government contract in Delaware, Maryland, Washington, DC, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Hmm, just curious, does this firm provide services in Delaware’s prison system, perhaps even the Delaware Psychiatric Center? The one that Charlie Copeland (justifiably) helped make into a cause celebre? Did Sigler and his firm benefit from Copeland’s involvement in this issue? Inquiring minds want to know. Especially since both Sigler and his wife contributed to Copeland’s 2008 campaign.
Suddenly, this non-partisan think tank is beginning to look a little–tainted. But, there’s still time to turn things around.
John Stapleford, Board Member-No less an authority than Dave Burris has described John Stapleford as Delaware’s economic ‘go-to guy’. Here is proof that John Stapleford is the Teabaggers’ economic ‘go-to guy’:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwn0HTWGWXw&feature=related[/youtube]
Which raises the question: Is the teabaggers’ economic go-to guy someone most Delawareans would go to for impartial and methodologically-sound information? He’s who the Caesar Rodney Institute goes to for its information. Perhaps it is time for what passes for the respectable Delaware media to ask themselves why the teabaggers’ ‘go-to guy’ on the economy is also their ‘go-to-guy’ on the economy.
Donna Stone, Board Member-Mongo Santamaria! No bio is available on the CRI website, but El Somnambulo don’t need no steenkin’ bio. Former State Rep. Donna Stone, who was defeated by Brad Bennett for reelection in 2008, singlehandedly (and underhandedly) did more to bury Matt Denn’s package of insurance reform measures than anyone. She proved especially adept at burying his bills in committee. As Chair of the House Banking/Insurance Committee, Stone was the industry’s best friend and the consumer’s worst nightmare. Enabling small business to purchase health insurance for its employees at state pool rates? Not on Stone’s watch. Giving the Commissioner real teeth to examine health insurance rate increases? Puh-leeze. No wonder she seriously considered a run for the IC spot last spring.
Which perhaps explains the strong support she received from the insurance industry in her finance reports:
The Beast Who Slumbers is sure that it is coincidence that Stone also received exceptional support from the clients of lobbyists Scott and Rebecca Kidner. And he’s equally sure that it’s coincidence that several campaign checks emanated from their 9 E. Loockerman Street address, which also is home to the office of CRI Chairman and CEO Barrett Kidner.
James Ursomarso, Secretary-*Sigh*. The Beast Who Slumbers officially gives up. He was sure that his research would demonstrate that CRI was an even-handed, aboveboard, good government honest broker. He has searched in vain for the would-be Diogenes seeking the truth, but he now throws in the towel. As the blatantly-partisan Delaware Dem pointed out, Ursomarso ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2004. And though one could read plausible deniability into this excerpt from Ursomarso’s bio:
“Jim ran unsuccessfully for Lt. Governor of Delaware in 2004 as the nominee of a major Party.”
the ‘major Party’ obliquely referenced turns out to be the Republican Party. John Carney garnered 62.1% of the vote to Ursomarso’s 36.3% in that race.
And, it turns out that the Ursomarso family just lo-o-o-oves themselves some Charlie Copeland as this list of contributors from Copeland’s 2008 report demonstrates. The first # is the aggregate figure:
09/16/2008 Catherine Ursomarso 13 Brandywine Falls Rd. Wilmington DE 19806 $300.00 $300.00
06/07/2008 Frank A. Sr. Ursomarso 2311 West 6th St. Wilmington DE 19805 $1,200.00 $1,200.00
06/25/2008 James P. Ursomarso 6 Kentshire Cr. Wilmington DE 19807 $900.00 $300.00
08/11/2008 James P. Ursomarso 6 Kentshire Cr. Wilmington DE 19807 $900.00 $200.00
09/11/2008 James P. Ursomarso 6 Kentshire Cr. Wilmington DE 19807 $900.00 $400.00
Oh, and “People for Ursomarso” ponied up an additional $86 for the duPont heir.
People may ask why this is relevant. The Beast Who Slumbers is not sure. He IS sure that Charlie Copeland has extraordinarily close ties to many of the people associated with the CRI.
He ALSO knows that Copeland has praised CRI on his blog and has even invited his cabana boy former campaign manager to write a guest column about CRI’s exploits. As you can also see, he and his BFF Garrett Wozniak use the occasion to blister the Markell Administration for its alleged lack of responsiveness. All in a non-partisan manner, no doubt.
So, with Copeland’s fingerprints all over CRI, El Somnambulo has these questions for Charles Copeland: In what capacity, if any, are you involved with the Caesar Rodney Institute? Are you supporting CRI in any financial capacity and, if so, to what extent? What role did you play, and do you continue to play, in the choice of staff and/or board positions for the CRI? If you are involved in CRI, why have you chosen not to provide the same transparency to your role as you demand of state government, for example?
El Somnambulo offers Senor Copeland as much space as he needs here to answer said questions and to expound on his vision (if, indeed, it is his vision) for CRI. The only caveat is that he must answer the questions first in order to be afforded the opportunity to expound.
Speaking of answering questions, El Somnambulo has some for the one remaining board member, Jonathan A. Patterson, Treasurer. The Caesar Rodney Institute has made a fetish out of the notion of ‘transparency and accountability’ on the part of state government, a sentiment with which all assuredly agree. It has even gone so far as to post online the salaries of people who work for the State, not just the non-merit position appointees of elected state officials, but salaries of ordinary hard-working Delawareans.
The facts presented in this series demonstrate that, while it’s possible that the Caesar Rodney Institute technically qualifies as a ‘non-partisan think tank’, it is in fact a vehicle being used by Republicans to promote what appears to be a virulently anti-regulatory and anti-governmental agenda.
As such, Senor Patterson, El Somnambulo respectfully asks you to provide the same information that you have printed about state employees: Please name any and all personnel, past or present, full-time, part-time, and contractual, who are or were on the payroll of CRI. Please provide each individual’s name and individual remuneration, be it annual, weekly, or other. Please provide records on any and all compensation paid by CRI to members of its Board of Directors.
In addition,please provide any and all sources of financial support for CRI, and the specific amount of financial support that said sources have provided and/or are continuing to provide. Since the CRI has built its reputation on ‘accountability and transparency’, the Institute has an obligation to the public to ensure that it abides by the same standards it would impose on others. If you would prefer to point Delaware Liberal to existing complete records that already provide said information, that would be acceptable as well.
So, like many great scientific experiments, El Somnambulo set out to prove that the Caesar Rodney Institute was a non-partisan organization that would become the ‘go-to guy’ for impartial research and analysis. Instead, he discovered that it was but another partisan organization seeking to distort facts and to manipulate public opinion. ‘Bulo is sad.
He will take a day to cogitate upon this unfortunate happenstance, and will return soon with context, analysis, questions remaining to be answered, and subjects for further investigation.
He will also make this forum available to Senor Copeland, Garrett Wozniak, and anyone else associated with CRI to say what they want. Provided, of course, that they first answer the questions that El Somnambulo has posed. The clock starts…NOW!