What did they know and when did they know it?
By: Al Zucaro
March 27, 2012, a day that will go down in infamy here in this “great” city of Boca Raton….why?
Because, the collective voice of the citizens was heard in the council chambers, over the airways and above the rooftops going right into the hearts and minds of the people…..Outstanding….
Of the dozen or so brave souls that took to the microphone and voiced their displeasure at the ‘gang of four’ s written and video antics, a common theme emerged.
“We are the people who elect you…” “Align yourself with the people…”
“The people of Boca Raton have spoken….” and, then, a glorious thank you to the council… “Because of the ads they saw…”, the people are now involved.
This theme could not have been clearer. The people are watching and they are asking! The first question that is being asked is how did all this acrimony on the airways get paid for?
Well a look at the public record offers a glimpse into the process and raises even more questions then can be easily answered. To begin, the March 9th financial reports filed by Mr. Chapman and Councilman Majhess reflect interesting differences.
Mr. Chapman listed contributions and loans in the cumulative amount of $120,235. Councilman Majhess’ listed the amount at $60,303. A two to one ratio challenger to incumbent. Mr. Chapman’s report reflects 57 contributors at the maximum amount of $500. Councilman Majhess reports 34 contributors at that level.
These are startling differences. But the most startling is that the reports do not seem to reflect by who and how the television campaigns were paid.
Digging a little deeper!!!!
Also contained in the public record are other filings. In addition to the monies raised by the candidates, two Electioneering Communication Organizations (ECOs) spent large sums of money to influence the vote in this local Boca Raton election.
“Restore Florida” , one of these ECO groups, is a Tallahassee based organization headed by attorney Mark Herron. This ECO was established Jan. 23, 2012 and was used exclusively for the Boca Raton election. “Restore Florida” reported raising $55,000 and spent $53,335 on television ads and production costs. Hence the extensive saturation of our local television channels. The entire amount came from two contributors: $35,000 from Ken Griffin and $20,000 from Marc Bell.
Who are these guys???
Marc Bell is the owner of Marc Bell Capital Partners, a private equity firm, located in Boca Raton, Florida with interests in entertainment, publishing, internet, hospitality and real estate. He is CEO of an internet-based social networking group and online personal sites. In addition to these, he controls the Penthouse lifestyle brand. Of special note is that Wikipedia identifies Mr. Bell as a partner in a number of restaurant and nightclub related ventures including one in downtown Boca Raton’s Mizner Park, the nightclub ‘Spin.’
Ken Griffin is a Chicago billionaire who is the founder and CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, LLC. According to Wikipedia, Mr. Griffin is thought to have a net worth in excess of a billion dollars and Citadel is listed as having over ten billions in assets under management. Mr. Griffin recently was the subject of a Bloomberg magazine cover story. He grew up in Boca Raton and graduated from Boca Raton Community High School. He is a well known art collector and an avid contributor to political campaigns.
So the question remains: What were they thinking???
One has to wonder what the gang of four was thinking by using the weight of their public office in television commercials to oust another sitting city council member. Considering this was their stated objective, how curious is it that contributions to this ECO provided the gang of four the actual means to achieve their goal. A real but unacknowledged benefit afforded to these council members, don’t you think?
And now for the rest of the story!!!!
The other ECO is called “Voters Response.” Voters Response is a Tallahassee based organization headed up by attorney/lobbyist Dave Ramba. Dave Ramba is also the lobbyist for the Palm Beach County Firefighters and Paramedics Union. Voters Response raised $30,000 and spent $28,378.50 in the Boca Raton election. Unlike Restore Florida, Voters Response has existed for several years before its efforts in this Boca Raton race.
So be it!!!
Boca Raton will unquestionably recover from the damaging effects of this last election cycle. Perhaps it would have started on March 27th had the gang of four collectively, or even any member of the gang individually, demonstrated that he or she may have actually recognized the wrongness of their actions. But alas, not one sign that they have gotten the message…not even maybe….
Thank you city council for this election cycle and its unintended but welcomed consequence.
Al Zucaro
