Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown to pay $40,000-plus for ethics violations
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Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown to pay $40,000-plus for ethics violations
City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown and her campaign have been slapped with a $48,834 fine for a series of ethics violations.
The Ethics Board announced today that Reynolds Brown made material misstatements and omissions in her campaign finance reports, accepted excess contributions, failed to properly deposit contributions, accepted prohibited gifts and failed to disclose transactions on 2010 and 2011 financial interest statements.
The 25-page report included details of Reynolds Brown’s financial woes in which she sought assistance from mentor Congressman Chaka Fattah to prevent her house from going into foreclosure in 2010. She needed $30,000 to save her home and by November was at least $3,000 short. Chaka “Chip” Fattah Jr. gave the Councilwoman a $3,300 loan which she did not disclose on her 2010 financial interest statement. At the time Fattah Jr. was an employee of a for-profit charter school that received millions of dollars in contracts from the School District. The FBI is currently investigating Fattah Jr.’s finances.
Reynolds Brown was not taking calls on the agreement reached with the Ethics Board, but her office released this statement:
“I have cooperated fully with the Board of Ethics in an effort to clear up any oversight and/or omissions made by the Friends of Blondell Reynolds Brown so that my campaign may begin with a clean slate effective immediately and I can continue to focus on my constituents and the important legislative business of the City of Philadelphia.
It is clear that there were a number of errors that occurred during the last campaign. I brought information to the Board of Ethics that resulted in this settlement.
I take full responsibility for the conduct of my campaign and have taken corrective steps to ensure that future reporting is clear and accurate. The persons responsible for these errors have been removed from any responsibilities regarding the Friends of Blondell Reynolds Brown and I have implemented strict guidelines and practices to ensure these errors will not be repeated.
I also must take full responsibility for an error in judgment regarding the repayment of a loan, through campaign funds, for a personal matter. I have subsequently made the Friends of Blondell Reynolds Brown whole through reimbursing that amount with my personal funds. I deeply regret this decision, which I voluntarily brought to the attention of the Board of Ethics. Most important: I apologize to my supporters and my colleagues, whose trust I value deeply. I will do everything in my power to make amends.”
just another day in the hood...— Tom813- Keep voting Democrat— Nezhy
- This does not surprise me in the least. One party town..— patty b
- $120,000 per year and Blondumb Reynolds Brown can't manage her own finances by keeping her home? This moron is rumored to be running for mayor too? She not only lacks intelligence but ethics too. She should be voted out of City Council because of this. This demonstrates a lack of character. How much of that money did she personally pocket?— Michael T. Welsh
- Forget the fines, they should loose their jobs.— Taxpaying Voter
- So it's OK to cheat in order to win as long as you don't get caught until after you're "elected".— FixThisCityPlease
- If you would investigate every individual on our City Council you will find 95% of them have committed worse...Why doesn't the Feds investigate them all?— BigE
Comment removed.- And this once great city continues to slide into obscurity.— tonyS
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It was only a matter of time before Miss. Blondell Reynolds got busted. I am surprised they didn't nab her sooner, like a few years ago using the city vehicle to do personal errands and shopping. Also, for using a tax paid assistant to carry her shopping bundles into her house for her every week. Blondell does not have the sensibility of a civil or public servant but she treats everyone else like they are her servants. She should be fired by the people immediately and her pension taken away for bad behavior.- What does takinbg responsibility mean? To mean you admit what you did and then resign. How can anyone expect this woman to be involved with the finances of the city? What is a misstatement? Sound like a lie but even the ethics committee doesn't have the guts to call it what it is. Is the DA going to investigate? Is the Fed. Misstatements (lie) are crimes and the taxpayers have the right for a true investigation.— SPENDSPEND
- Comment removed.
- Where's Reverend Al?— whynotpeace
- http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=e06_1359380173— joemummer
- Again, she will still show up to work like nothing happened. They always do. She won't leave without kicking and screaming, I'm sure.
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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