Glenn Burleigh, the communist who heads Missouri ACORN, has been identified as the media consultant for the Jefferson County Dispatch 911 campaign. Glenn's work with Jefferson County elections (he assisted SEIU member Mike Frame's campaign) was part of a targeted strategy from the Missouri ProVote board to put progressives in office. Burleigh's expertise is an interesting choice, but it showcases how the desire for revenue outpaced all questions of honest campaigning at the Jefferson County Dispatch.
On February 26, 2008, editor Pat Martin ran a story in the Leader on the use of taxpayer funds to run the 911 campaign. Martin was not opposed to the issue, but he was disturbed with the use of funds to pay an outside agency to campaign, and he brought up the issue of using capital funds to pay for what appeared to be an advocacy campaign instead of an educational campaign.
Jefferson County Dispatch didn't like it - not one bit. In fact, De Soto Rural Fire Protection Chief Paul Mayer had this to say.
"I understand there are supposed to be 3,000 of those yard signs. I would rather solicit donations and have the committee buy them so we didn't have to put "Paid for by Jefferson County 911" on the sign given the beating we just took from Rat Martin. Do you have a breakdown on the billing on how much Forefront has figured for the signs"
First, let me clear something up. His name is Pat Martin, not Rat Martin. When you first look at the email, you think it may be a typo. But then you look at a keyboard, and you realize that "p" and "r" are just about as far apart as they could be. It's deliberate. Casual insults on an interoffice email are simply forwarded without comment because a journalist caught them using taxpayer money for political purposes.
Note that they don't claim Martin is wrong - Mayer even says he wants to change the way they pay for signs because he doesn't want to take more heat. That's why they filed for a new committee called Citizen's for Proposition 9-1-1 on Friday, February 27, 2009. This committee was supposed to take donations to pay for signs. But they didn't. The April invoice for Forefront includes $4,502.83 for signs, and of course, the time labor, travel, van rental, and gas charges to deliver the signs, totaling several thousand more dollars. Recognizing they had moved from education to advocacy using the Capital improvements fund, Mayer discusses making changes - but ultimately continues to use taxpayer dollars to fund an advocacy campaign (yard signs are advocacy - not education).
But it doesn't stop there. Forefront Organizing recognized that Martin's editorial was a danger. Their response, was to write up a couple of Letters to the Editor, and ask Brenda Shular to find people "not offically connected to 911" who would sign their names to the letters, and forward them to the Leader.
Fake Letters to the Jefferson News-Leader
So now the taxpayers of Jefferson County are having their money spent to write fake letters to the editor. I don't care how good of a lawyer Bob Sweeney is - explaining how fake letters are educational isn't possible in any courtroom I've heard of. What this shows is a complete lack of respect for voters and for the press. I fully expect to see this brought up at the next Board meeting.
It is my fervent hope that Pat Martin is aware and going to expose this in THE LEADER, especially since the LEADER was used as a part of this scheme.
Hopefully, he will personally attend the next board meeting and ask questions. I am still waiting to read about this in THE LEADER.
Posted by: dholder3 | 12/14/2009 at 11:18 AM