| It's hard to find words to describe how ridiculous Jim Amann's campaign for Governor is.
He's raised only about $8,000 this quarter. That's on top of $0 in the first quarter, and $9,545 in qualifying contributions last year. His explanation:
(H)e said it's hard to compare his campaign committee to the exploratory committees of the other two Democratic candidates and Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
"We're right in the ballpark with these guys," Amann said referring to Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy and Secretary of State Susan Bysiewicz.
"These guys" have raised over $240,000 each - do you think that only about $17,000 of each $240,000 is in qualifying contributions of $100 or less? It's almost certainly much, much more.
But even that $17,000 isn't really Amann's total. Actually he is in a deep hole, because he has totally screwed up his finances by transferring money improperly from HIS exploratory committee:
Amann transferred $35,488 from his exploratory committee into his candidate committee, but he had only raised $9,545 in qualifying contributions of $100 or less. The rest came in amounts of up to $375.
The screw-up has launched an audit of Amann's campaign by the state Elections Enforcement Commission, a cumbersome and time-consuming process that requires documentation for every check cashed and could take months to complete.
Amann started out his campaign spending money like a drunken sailor:
Amann's kick-off party at the Klein theater in Bridgeport in February had all the trappings of an election year-rally - 21 months before Election Day. And campaign records show he paid handsomely for the show: $3,729 for the theater rental; $1,665 to the stagehands union; $1,200 for "security"; $2,650 for photography and videography; and $169 for decorations. And it wasn't even a fund-raiser: The rally didn't raise a cent for the campaign.
Amann's also shelling out $2,044 a month renting a storefront ($8,176 spent so far) in a Milford strip mall to use as headquarters, which held its grand opening April 28. And he has charged hundreds of dollars in meals to the campaign, from Stonebridge Restaurant in Amann's hometown to Max Downtown and the Officer's Club in Hartford. Then there's a one-off charge for Foxwoods valet parking, which the paperwork describes simply as "attendance at dinner."
Amann needs to raise $250,000 to qualify for public funds, which he claims is his only goal and says is the reason counting how much someone raises is not important. But at the rate of $8,000 per quarter it will take him over 7 1/2 years to raise that much.
When will this buffoon decide enough is enough? |
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