Bowser Protects Slumlord Supporter

[Anonymous]

I wonder how much of the $300,000 ended up in Bowser's campaign coffers?

[jsteele]

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how much of the $300,000 ended up in Bowser's campaign coffers?

According to the last article, Phinis Jones -- a major funder and organizer for the Bowser campaign -- who also ran the management company responsible for Park Southern paid Joyce Scott -- Park Southern's Board President and the individual that screwed Vince Gray over on the Ward 8 Democrats straw poll and became a Bowser supporter -- $10,000 after the District's takeover of the building. That is in addition to the free rent she was receiving.

To put it another way, a Bowser funder made a questionable payment of $10,000 to a key political player in Bowser's primary victory. That's getting pretty close to shadow campaign territory.

[Anonymous]

Exactly. And sadly, so typical of DC politics. Whenever people wonder why DC has such a significant amount of multi-generational poverty unhelped by 30+ years of the most generous social services spending of any jurisdiction in the metro area---they should just think about this situation. Typical fraud, corruption, theft and abuse by middle class AA DC politicians, political hacks, and their friends & families against working poor and economically vulnerable low-income AA DC residents. And as long as Marion Barry and his ilk keep playing the race card in this city in order to camoflage who is really doing the screwing over of poor black folks, this type of crap will continue to happen. It is systemic.

[Anonymous]

Phinis Jones made direct contributions to the Bowser campaign as noted. I wonder how much of that can be tied by financial forensics to the rent money?

The shadow campaign issue should be enough to raise serious red flags for the Bowser campaign.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there anyone involved in DC politics who isn't corrupt? Seriously! I think if we looked closely at each member of city council we would find corruption or/and unethical behavior. It seems honest (and some may argue intelligent) people do not run for political office. In the almost 10 years I have lived in DC, I have been shocked at the people getting elected. I dislike Bowser but Catania isn't much better.

Same could be said for Virginia. Shitty take.

[Anonymous]

"“I thought I was free to vote for whoever I wanted. I didn’t know I wasn’t — like this is a Third World country.”"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. And sadly, so typical of DC politics. Whenever people wonder why DC has such a significant amount of multi-generational poverty unhelped by 30+ years of the most generous social services spending of any jurisdiction in the metro area---they should just think about this situation. Typical fraud, corruption, theft and abuse by middle class AA DC politicians, political hacks, and their friends & families against working poor and economically vulnerable low-income AA DC residents. And as long as Marion Barry and his ilk keep playing the race card in this city in order to camoflage who is really doing the screwing over of poor black folks, this type of crap will continue to happen. It is systemic. [/quote

All of this is spot on. But you'd never know if you attended a Barry event. I attended his book event downtown and it was 75-25 Barry supporters. A synopsis of the city's pathology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. And sadly, so typical of DC politics. Whenever people wonder why DC has such a significant amount of multi-generational poverty unhelped by 30+ years of the most generous social services spending of any jurisdiction in the metro area---they should just think about this situation. Typical fraud, corruption, theft and abuse by middle class AA DC politicians, political hacks, and their friends & families against working poor and economically vulnerable low-income AA DC residents. And as long as Marion Barry and his ilk keep playing the race card in this city in order to camoflage who is really doing the screwing over of poor black folks, this type of crap will continue to happen. It is systemic. [/quote

All of this is spot on. But you'd never know if you attended a[/b] Barry event. I attended his book event downtown and it was 75-25 Barry supporters.[b] A synopsis of the city's pathology.

Your post makes no sense. Exactly who do you think would attend a Barry event.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Your post makes no sense. Exactly who do you think would attend a Barry event.

For its newsworthiness. Plus I'm not afraid of balck people, like yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
Your post makes no sense. Exactly who do you think would attend a Barry event.

For its newsworthiness. Plus I'm not afraid of balck people, like yourself.

I guess I am afraid of myself and virtually my entire family. Thanks for letting me know

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Exactly. And sadly, so typical of DC politics. Whenever people wonder why DC has such a significant amount of multi-generational poverty unhelped by 30+ years of the most generous social services spending of any jurisdiction in the metro area---they should just think about this situation. Typical fraud, corruption, theft and abuse by middle class AA DC politicians, political hacks, and their friends & families against working poor and economically vulnerable low-income AA DC residents. And as long as Marion Barry and his ilk keep playing the race card in this city in order to camoflage who is really doing the screwing over of poor black folks, this type of crap will continue to happen. It is systemic.

Marion Barry be the "for-ever mayor"!

[jsteele]

Another day, another story about the Park Southern controversy and Muriel Bowser's role in it:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/bowser-addresses-park-southern-controversy-says-her-involvement-was-above-board/2014/07/18/982cc3ea-0df8-11e4-8341-b8072b1e7348_story.html

On Friday, Bowser was on Kojo Nnamdi's DC Politics Hour. As the Post says:

"She said repeatedly that her questions about the takeover of Park Southern had been answered by the administration during a closed-door meeting in early May."

"In fact, more than a week later, on May 19, Bowser’s office sent a letter to the Gray administration following up on her request for an explanation of the city’s 'legal power as a lender' to hire a new management company."

"And on June 3, Judah Gluckman, an aide to Bowser, sent an e-mail to a senior assistant attorney general, asking for a legal opinion 'demonstrating DHCD’s legal right to seize Park Southern documents and space, as well as to select a new management company.'"

So, Bowser claims that she was satisfied by the Administration's answers on the early May meeting. But, more than three weeks after the meeting she was still questioning the Administration's legal right to seize the building. It doesn't seem like Bowser has her story straight.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote: It doesn't seem like Bowser has her story straight.

No wonder she doesn't want to debate. Catania will filet her alive.

[jsteele]

Patrick Madden of WAMU connects the dots this morning:

http://wamu.org/news/14/07/25/catania_asks_bowser_to_return_contributions_lined_to_troubled_housing_complex

"In one case, a company called Trinity II, which lists Jones as its fiscal agent, received $5,000 dollars from Park Southern on May 7. About a month later, campaign finance records show a company called Trinity II — along with four others associated with Jones — made donations to Bowser."

So, a direct flow of money from Park Southern to Phinis Jones to the Bowser campaign.

I listed Jones-related contributions to Bowser in an earlier post. I noted that that I had not been able to identify as many contributions as the Washington Post had. I believe these are the missing donations:

Trinity II Corporation/ Business 225 Morgan St NW DC Washington DC 20001 $250.00 10/10/13
Trinity II Corporation/ Corporation 225 Morgan St NW DC Washington DC 20001 $1,000.00 3/10/14
Trinity II Corporation/ Corporation 225 Morgan St NW DC Washington DC 20001 $500.00 3/28/14
D&D Properties LLC/ Corporation 225 Morgan Street NW #103 Washignton DC 20001 $200.00 6/10/14
Trinity II Corporation/ Business 225 Morgan Street, NW #103 Washington DC 20001 $250.00 6/10/14

June 10 is the same date on which $8,000 worth of additional contributions that I identified were provided. It looks like Trinity II could not give more on that date because it was hitting the contribution limit.

Obviously, Bowser will do nothing to change the pay-for-play culture of DC politics. Meet the (potential) new boss. Same as the old boss.

[Anonymous]

jsteele wrote:Patrick Madden of WAMU connects the dots this morning:

http://wamu.org/news/14/07/25/catania_asks_bowser_to_return_contributions_lined_to_troubled_housing_complex

"In one case, a company called Trinity II, which lists Jones as its fiscal agent, received $5,000 dollars from Park Southern on May 7. About a month later, campaign finance records show a company called Trinity II — along with four others associated with Jones — made donations to Bowser."

So, a direct flow of money from Park Southern to Phinis Jones to the Bowser campaign.

I listed Jones-related contributions to Bowser in an earlier post. I noted that that I had not been able to identify as many contributions as the Washington Post had. I believe these are the missing donations:

Trinity II Corporation/ Business 225 Morgan St NW DC Washington DC 20001 $250.00 10/10/13
Trinity II Corporation/ Corporation 225 Morgan St NW DC Washington DC 20001 $1,000.00 3/10/14
Trinity II Corporation/ Corporation 225 Morgan St NW DC Washington DC 20001 $500.00 3/28/14
D&D Properties LLC/ Corporation 225 Morgan Street NW #103 Washignton DC 20001 $200.00 6/10/14
Trinity II Corporation/ Business 225 Morgan Street, NW #103 Washington DC 20001 $250.00 6/10/14

June 10 is the same date on which $8,000 worth of additional contributions that I identified were provided. It looks like Trinity II could not give more on that date because it was hitting the contribution limit.

Obviously, Bowser will do nothing to change the pay-for-play culture of DC politics. Meet the (potential) new boss. Same as the old boss.

This is pretty damning -- Bowser is protecting her well-connected campaign contributors who also happen to be slumlords.