Implicated In Philly Ethics Probe, Now Starting PAC For Bethany Hall-Long
Is this even legal? I don’t know, but let’s just lay it out there.
There’s this Philly guy, see? His name is Jimmy Cauley. Dis Cauley guy was involved in the campaign of one Jeff Brown, a Shop-Rite owner who spent a bleepload of money on advertising in his run for Mayor of Philadelphia:
Brown’s campaign and a “super PAC,” an independent group supporting him, have already spent more than $2 million boosting his candidacy on the small screen. The ad buys have changed the shape of the race and given him a leg up by building name recognition at a time when few potential voters are aware of who’s running.
The Philadelphia Board of Ethics is investigating campaign finance activities related to mayoral candidate Jeff Brown, according to a person who was approached by the board as part of the probe.
Victoria Perrone, a Philadelphia-based campaign finance compliance consultant, said she was interviewed this week by Shane Creamer, the board’s executive director, about her knowledge of the early efforts by Brown’s team to organize its strategy for the mayor’s race.
Perrone said she is not working for Brown’s campaign or any groups supporting him, but had a discussion with Jimmy Cauley, who is now Brown’s campaign manager, about possibly joining the team roughly a year ago.
She said she declined to join the team supporting Brown last year because she at the time was working for two other politicians who appeared likely to join the race. But she said she was also unsettled by Cauley’s questions because he asked if she had experience with a variety of types of campaign finance entities, some of which would be prohibited by law from coordinating with each other.
“I basically mentioned that I’m not sure that’s totally kosher,” Perrone said. “During the conversation, I said I would not be able to do all of these committees at once because that [would be] a problem.”
Well, guess who has launched an ‘independent’ PAC with the official aim ‘to accept contributions and make expenditures in support of the election of Lieutenant Governor Bethany Hall-Long for Governor of Delaware’? Dat same Philly guy. Jimmy Cauley. His listed address on the Department of Elections website? 1811 Chestnut Street, #305, Philadelphia, PA, 19103.
The name of the PAC? The First State Forward PAC. Just filed with the Delaware Department of Elections on May 30. I thought PAC’s had to function independently from candidate campaigns. Am I wrong? If not, I think what Jimmy Cauley is doing is illegal.
Since he flooded the airwaves with commercials for Jeff Brown who, BTW, finished fifth in the Philly Democratic Mayoral primary in 2023, I would suspect he’s gonna try something similar for BHL.
Yes, Brown had his own Super-PAC, and Cauley was his campaign manager. The name?:
For a Better Philadelphia is an independent expenditure committee, which is a type of political group that is allowed to accept donations that are larger than the city’s contribution limits so long as it does not coordinate with a candidate. This year, the contribution limits are $6,200 for individual donors and $25,200 for organizations.
Shane Creamer, executive director for the Board of Ethics, said Brown coordinated with the groups because he “engaged in extensive fundraising” for the nonprofit arm of For A Better Philadelphia. Creamer said the board told the super PAC on March 30 to stop making expenditures while it investigated that alleged coordination.
“This, I think, arguably is the worst type of coordination, where the candidate is directing donors directly to the outside spending group and getting money to the spending group directly — in this case to a ‘dark money’ group so the public doesn’t even know it’s happening,” Creamer said.
For A Better Philadelphia is the first organization to play a role in a Philly mayor’s race while exploiting a loophole in the city’s campaign finance laws that allows super PACs to keep their backers secret by funneling its money through nonprofits.
Here’s the deal that was reached in the Brown/Ethics Commission case. Although Brown and his dark money PAC later sued the Ethics Board.
Now we have a case of an independent PAC being upfront in that its sole purpose is to back BHL. I think it’s illegal. I think it’s up to the State Board Of Elections (fat chance of that) and the Attorney General’s office to stop this before it starts.
What do the Legal Eagles think?
Nice scoop.
All I did was do one of my routine checks of campaign committee filings.
Saw this PAC, clicked on the info, saw that stated goal of helping BHL, saw the name of Jimmy Cauley, did a Google search and, well, the article is the result.
It is not coincidence that brings Cauley and BHL together. Wonder where they’re getting the dark money to funnel into her campaign…I know where
I’d look first.
Right, Jimmy? No, no, the OTHER Jimmy.
I believe you can have a PAC that states it supports a candidate, as long as the candidate and the PAC do not coordinate.
Think of an Association’s PAC, like a Pipe Fitters PAC. It can state that it supports candidates that support, um, pipe fitting.
I’ve never seen an independent PAC with the stated purpose of raising funds for the direct purpose of electing a particular candidate.
It’s why they can do ‘issues’ ads, but not ads on behalf of a particular candidate.
Plus, based on the history of Jimmy Cauley, the Jeff Brown campaign, and the far-from-independent PAC that polluted the airwaves with Brown ads, one would have to think that they’ve learned their lesson. The way this PAC has been created suggests otherwise.
I’m gonna send the article plus the supporting info to the AG’s office and, out of courtesy, to the do-nothing Department of Elections. I at least want to see whether what they’re doing is both legal and Kosher.
Well, sure the Pipefitters can endorse and make a contribution. As can any organization.
But this is different. This PAC is set up to be a conduit of dark money from unidentified groups. The head of this PAC has had his previous campaign legally cited for ethics violations. Looks like he’s doing virtually the same thing all over again.
One more thing: There are campaign limits on what individuals and PACs may contribute to a candidate. A PAC like this is devised to GET AROUND those limits, which would be illegal. That money is coming from somewhere, and it’s most assuredly coming from sources who have already maxed out to BHL’s campaign.
You’ve really got me going now, BK.
But a PAC can send out hit pieces on a candidate’s opponents and puff pieces with children and puppies for a candidate. A PAC can also buy TV and radio advertising, internet advertising, etc. They’re only limited on what they can donate directly to a candidate.
A well-directed PAC can do a lot of political damage or the opposite of damage.
I somehow don’t think that the TransPerfect folks will do much damage.
I was working at Trader Joe’s when they had a campaign truck come by with the pictures of the judges from the Court Of Chancery posted with something like ‘Enemies of the People’.
Talk about pissing money down the drain…
Jennings is worthless. She’s a show horse and not a workhorse and always has been. She’s just as Delaware Way as the rest of them. She just mouths the right words and / I hate to say it – a lot of dumb white progressives bought it. Her turning a blind eye to the significant and ongoing campaign finance violations happening should be investigated by the Feds. This state is a banana republic at this point.
Well, she prosecuted and got a conviction on Kathy McGuiness.
She’s done more than most.
However, the longer the radio silence continues on the supposedly continuing investigation into BHL, it is fair to ask what’s going on.
Traditionally, political investigations have always been the purview of the feds, not the state AG, because the AG is the defense attorney for government agencies. Jennings’ prosecution of McGuiness was the first state-level prosecution I can remember.
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2018/10/19/carney-appointees-accused-unethical-campaign-activity/1681906002/
Same First State Forward?
Well, that was an article from 2018. So I don’t know if the PAC name is just coincidence.
However, Houghton has his own BHL connection. The longtime D bundler has set up his own PAC, and is conducting polling b/c BHL can’t afford to do it on her own.
Statewide candidates do this all the time around the country. Candidates are allowed to raise money for PACs, but they cannot coordinate on how the funds are used.
Campaign finance laws are a joke in our country. Outside money should be taken out of politics all together.
Meyer had a dinner hosted by the Copelands that was raising money into a PAC that supports him. He has also been calling around Wilmington law firms seeking PAC donations, including the firm I work at.
I imagine BHL and O’Mara are doing the same.
I wonder if your firm is Young Conaway Stargatt & Taylor or Morris, Nichols, Arsht & Tunnell, where Mary Dugan and Michael Houghton are Partners, respectively, and who were leading the former iteration of First State Forward, as indicated in the filings or reported in the newspaper? Additionally, Brenda Mayrack is still the State Escheator. Are they involved in this? If not, what a remarkable coincidence.
I get that, and it sucks. But here we’ve got an already ethically-besmirched Philly guy starting a PAC with the mission statement of helping BHL. I honestly haven’t seen that before.
Our PAL Val posted a picture last night with BHL saying character matters. That’s rich coming from a bigot who referred to her own colleague and then Majority Whip as a “colored woman.” And don’t forget BHL’s homophobia and resistance to LGBT bills like marriage equality. She may show up at a Pride event but she’s never been really comfortable
Character also requires honesty and integrity none of which BHL has displayed
Hall Long and Val don’t even like one another and have famously talked trash on each other for years. And continue to “behind the scenes” because they can’t help it. This whole thing is disgusting and I can’t imagine 4-8 years of this dysfunction.
someone should check out the FOIA opinion letter from the AG. Summary: the associated press complaint about the elections department not providing all of the requested documents. AG sided with the department because in part they said they can’t release information and documents related to an ongoing criminal prosecution, investigation, or enforcement matter. Someone should post the link here. It’s available online. I’m not sure why it hasn’t been more widely circulated.
So Jennings/ Feds : is someone who could be our Governor under investigation? If so are we just going to wait until she gets elected to do the indictment or can the voters have the information now?
This is what drives me crazy. They haven’t said that there IS an ongoing criminal investigation. I think the voters should at least know that.
Someone who I consider completely trustworthy told me that Val told them that she’s backing BHL because Val, and I quote, ‘can manipulate her’.
BTW, I suppose Val’s definition of character includes trading on her position to secure a $100K annual salary with the PAL. Because, you know, the street urchins of Hockessin need a place to go after school.
https://attorneygeneral.delaware.gov/2024/04/15/24-ib14-04-15-2024-foia-opinion-letter-to-randall-chase-re-foia-complaint-concerning-the-delaware-department-of-elections/
I think this is it.
Sneaky sentence at the end: “The last response on February 2, 2024 also stated that some emails were withheld pursuant to two statutory exemptions, 29 Del. C. § 10002(o)(3) and 29 Del. C. § 10002(o)(6).[14]”
Here are 3 and 6:
(3) Investigatory files compiled for civil or criminal law-enforcement purposes including pending investigative files, pretrial and presentence investigations and child custody and adoption files where there is no criminal complaint at issue;
(6) Any records specifically exempted from public disclosure by statute or common law;
Finally proof that she is under investigation.
What now?
The operative part of that statement?:
‘February 2, 2024’.
That’s, uh, four months ago.
So, is the investigation done? Would be nice to know. That’s five months after her malfeasance became public.
And the letter is dated at the end of April. It seems that they were still not released because they were still a part of an investigation.
Don’t forget “Jew Cult”. Disgusting people.
I don’t support BHL, but she is not homophobic. As a state rep and as a state senator, she voted FOR every LGBTQ rights bill, including Marriage Equality and Gender Identity Protections
After being the last Dem holdout. She was never supportive of it before.
She publicly expressed concern about how her Suxco peeps would feel if she voted yes.
In fairness, though, she voted yes. But she was no leader on the issue.
Totally. And her father’;s evangelical people
Dear Bethany, when in a hole stop digging. These Philly folks will squeeze you for whatever they can get and leave you in the ditch. Why would this Broad Street hustler support you? Have you asked the question? Or did you ask, and you were cool with the answer? The dude is a character and yours is decimated. Have a great day!
There is a faint echo of a bell ringing here… was there some other questionable BHL PAC that was managed by her campaign employee but they like misspelled her name on a filing or something like that? Regardless, this is worthy of attention and I’m glad your shining a light on it. Not sure I’ve ever been in a position to be undecided on such an important race… and I do firmly believe that in many campaigns a candidate may not be fully aware of everything happening… but at this point, wouldn’t you have started paying attention?
Why, yes, yes there is/was another PAC solely designed to benefit BHL–a lovely parting gift from former President Pro-Tem Patti Blevins. I’m struck by the sheer brilliance of this article, which warrants, oh, say, about a million page views:
https://delawareliberal.net/2024/01/24/the-little-pac-that-could/
While uncommon, it’s not illegal. The 3rd party advertiser form specifically requires PACs to state who they’re supporting.
As of now, no such 3rd Party advertiser form has been posted for this PAC.
In contrast, the bullshit TransPerfect PAC which plans to run ads against BHL has filed the 3rd party form. Maybe it’s just me, but whenever I hear the name ‘TransPerfect’, the word ‘cult’ comes to mind.
I’ll keep looking to see if/when the First State Forward PAC files the form.
There is a First State Forward Third Party Advertiser form on the elections website.
https://cfrs.elections.delaware.gov/Public/ShowReview?memberID=478416%20&memVersID=1%20&cTypeCode=04%20&ftype=SO%20&fpath=%20&fname=%20&isPublic=true
Mary Frances Dugan and Brenda Mayrack are listed.
That PAC is not active, and is not affiliated with this PAC.
It dates back to 2018 and ran into some ethical questions of its own:
https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/2018/10/19/carney-appointees-accused-unethical-campaign-activity/1681906002/
Isn’t Brenda Mayrack still an agency head or something?
She’s actually quite the competent person.
Turned people off with her personality. By ‘people’, I mean campaign staff, volunteers and voters.
That Auditor’s race was hers to lose. She lost it.
But there should be a place in government for people like Brenda Mayrack.
But that place isn’t about playing political games behind PACs. Answers are urgently needed from Houghton, Dugan, and Mayrack—or someone must compel them to respond. I can’t envision Young Conaway and the Department of State being pleased with their employees’ involvement in this matter, unless they are acting on direct orders from the current Governor. Particularly since there is no conceivable chance of BHL winning. If they are not behind this, and BHL simply named the PAC similarly, they have every right to be outraged
there’s also now a “1st State Forward” filed at the same time as the scumbag from Philly’s PAC. I’m sure not connected and I’m sure there’s no sketchy reason why they changed it from First to 1st.
Don’t think the two PAC’s are connected. I googled the name of the person who filed that other PAC, and he looks about as far removed from a Philly pol as possible. He has a PhD in Neuroscience from Delaware State University, and publishes papers with titles like: “Changes in Functional Network Output of Cocultured Ventral Horn Neurons”. (I’m not making this up…)
Well, Houghton was involved in the 2018 PAC designed to defeat Charles Potter. AND he’s set up his own PAC to conduct polling on behalf of BHL.
Don’t know that there’s anything urgent about what happened in 2018. It’s not like someone put a copyright on the PAC name. At least, I don’t think so.
Brenda Mayrack is definitely a super smart and competent person, and she is an asset to state government.