Monday, December 22, 2008

DOB rules not the only ones broken by Como

Board of elections commissioners are not supposed to run for office while they're on the board - but that didn't stop two of them from doing just that.

Commissioners Anthony Como and Jay Savino actively campaigned for office while raising money from board employees, a Daily News investigation found.

Commissioners oversee the voting process and could have enormous influence on election outcome. They certify results, approve hiring of poll workers and maintain ballot machines and certify petitions of candidates.


2 Elex panelists may have broken rules

Como, a Queens Republican appointed commissioner in 2005, set up a campaign committee to run for a City Council seat on Jan. 16, records show.

On his committee authorization application, Como signed a sworn affidavit saying: "I am a candidate for election to the office as stated above."

Though still a commissioner, he immediately began raising a steady flow of small checks, usually $100 to $250, records show.

A flyer obtained by The News invites people to a "Campaign Kickoff" at "Como For City Council Headquarters" in Glendale. It's dated March 29, while Como was still a commissioner.

Como told The News he doesn't know how the Board of Elections employees came to write checks to his campaign, but he insists he didn't force them.

"You have to ask them how they knew," he said. "There wasn't an approach."

Como claimed "it was a free of charge event" and that "people just showed up and some were nice enough and they brought checks."

Como said he later decided to return the checks from board employees.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

What can you say. I've read the story twice and I'm still speechless.
"Some were nice enough to bring checks." Please, just go away and stay away.On second thought, continue to mull over running as you've hinted to staff. We need the comic relief.

Why was Kerry fired two weeks prior to the election?

Anonymous said...

I also received a "Campaign Kickoff" and I live in Forest Hills. It was quite obviously a fund raiser.

Also where did he get my address, including apt number? From Board of Elections or someone elses fund raiser list?

Anonymous said...

I find it reprehensible that for a city elite that goes apeshit over gay issues, immigrant issues, any issues the clubhouse favors remains silent over the systamtic disenfranshisement of the regular voter.

NYS has half the campaign litigation in the nation.

You read that right. 49 states equals NYS.

And no one says a damn thing.

Anonymous said...

So where is Kerry?
What did she do ? Isn't she the one in the Memorial Day campaign
pictures?

Anonymous said...

Good point about those lists. How do they all get our names and addresses (and other info?) Public record yes, but assembling it all---who does that? Do they take home laptops of data on us? Everybody from crooked pols to chimney cleaners seems to have this data. I sometimes put a mader up middle name on things just to see where the info goes, and I get funny results.

Anonymous said...

Giving a donation to someone that is running for office is public record.They are called disclosure reports. You can go to the NYC and the NYS BOE websites and look all of it up. The campaigns have to provide the name of the donor, their address, date the check was accepted, check #, amount. So anyone can go on those websites and make databases. This happens across the country. If anyone has ever given $$$ to a campaign, chances are, you will get a letter from someone randomly that could even be out of state. If you give once, they will haunt you forever.

Queens Crapper said...

Board of elections will send any candidate a list of prime voters, voters registered in a particular party, however you want the data sorted.

Anonymous said...

Where's Kerry and why was she fired?

Anonymous said...

And this lying pig is planning to run again in 2009?

Go for it, fatso. See what will come back to haunt you.

Anonymous said...

1) Who the "F" is Kerry?

2) is she hot?

3) Como's a salami.

4) Ignore him, he's finished.

Anonymous said...

I love Kerry - She isa smoking - pl,ease like me you loser fools ...