A Queens politician who raised more than $35,000 to replace a vandalized community refrigerator accepted the contributions through her campaign account, raising questions about the transparency of her charity effort.
When a fridge providing free food to the hungry outside state Sen. Jessica Ramos’s East Elmhurst office was damaged last month, the outcry was loud and contributions to replace it poured in quickly.
“The community fridge outside our district office was vandalized and destroyed last night. So many of our neighbors depend on the generosity of other neighbors to get through these difficult times. Now this lifeline is gone. I’m heartbroken,” Ramos tweeted Jan. 2., garnering coverage from multiple news outlets.
In a follow-up tweet, the Democrat included a link to accept contributions, explaining, “We’re going to need your help to keep our community fridge project going. Any little bit helps! 100% of your donations will keep our fridge stocked for our neighbors.”
But the link took visitors to an ActBlue page for her campaign account. The page, since taken down, stated, “All proceeds from this link will go directly to keeping the refrigerator stocked for our neighbors in need.” Above boxes used for specifying the amount of one’s contribution, the page said, “Your contribution will benefit Jessica Ramos.”
The more than $35,000 in contributions raised through the effort made up the majority of Ramos’s campaign haul for January, according to state filings.
She spent $6,000 on consultants and a few hundred on staff meals and transportation — but no money for the fridge or food for the community.
“It’s not right,” Betsy Gotbaum, executive director of government watchdog Citizens Union, told the Daily News. “I would not mix campaign work with charity.
7 comments:
One of her voters really acted blue on that poor fridge
Putting a refrigerator on the street as a food pantry is really a dumb idea. Who gets sued when the deposited food has been poisoned by a sicko??
Amazing, 35,000 grand raised for a fridge, you can get a decent scratch and dent one for under 250. Could have paid for it with petty cash.
Send her ass to jail
Can one really blame her? Such corruption is par for the course for most politicians-has been for a long time now. We're at a point now that these criminals really don't know any better so it's perfectly normal for one to think that if you raised far more money than you needed then you're entitled to that extra money.
SHOCKING. And this is from a Progressive (Socialist) who believes people should share their with others. This jackass is just like all the others there to line her own pockets.
Please explain to me about community refrigerators. I thought it was a violation from DSNY to place a refrigerator on the sidewalk and not remove the doors. Children have climbed inside them, got caught and died.
A refrigerator left out on the sidewalk with it's doors still on, is a liability but I see for the Hispanic politicians it's an opportunity to scam constituents once again.
Just when I thought the city couldn't get anymore shitty.
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