Councilwoman refuses to answer questions about campaign finance violations
Get inside the halls of Philadelphia power with PhillyClout: Inside City Hall, the blog by the Philadelphia Daily News' city hall reporters.
Councilwoman refuses to answer questions about campaign finance violations
Updated: To include statement from Council president
City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown dodged questions from reporters Tuesday morning about a report released by the Ethics Board which detailed a number of violations related to her campaign finances.
Reynolds Brown, who was attending Council’s Rules Committee hearing at 10 a.m. continued to refer and repeat excerpts from a statement she released Monday when the Ethics Board’s report was released. As part of an agreement reached with the Board Brown has to pay $48,834.
Brown an at-large Councilwoman was selected by her colleagues to serve in leadership as majority whip. Council members say despite the report they still support her being in that leadership post.
“I am glad Councilwoman Reynolds Brown is taking full responsibility for the conduct of her campaign," Council president Darrell Clarke said in a statement. "I have always had great confidence in her as a Council colleague, and I continue to have confidence in her abilities as a legislator and as Majority Whip.”
Majority leader Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. said the Board’s findings do concern him, but is unrelated to her position in Council leadership.
“I don’t see within her leadership, the body of Council as whip which is defined by being able to garner votes, being able to move legislation is impacted by the findings of the board,” Jones said.
Philadelphia...corrupt, content, and provincial. Really, Philly, the rest of the state and country are laughing with you and not at you.— FletcherT
Comment removed.- “I don’t see within her leadership, the body of Council as whip which is defined by being able to garner votes, being able to move legislation is impacted by the findings of the board,” Jones said.
That says it all. The fact that she is a corrupt, stealing liar apparently doesn't affect her ability to persuade others, despite that her credibility is shot?
I think the public should know how she intends to repay the $48K.
— mportik 
so being a member of Philadanco was not adequate training for future city leader blondell reynolds-brown?— hannibal barca- 60 yers of democratic rule. you deserve what you voted for.— CD75
- "Majority leader Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. said the Board’s findings do concern him, but is unrelated to her position in Council leadership." I guess ethics in government leaders never matters.
— CD75 - She is being eyed as our next mayoral candidate to replace nutless. she will most certainly win. She is a sista and they are running the city.— dontlikedems
- my god, how can these people keep their jobs?????? the citizens of philadelphia are to blame for this. they allow these people to do what they do year after year after year. its so frustrating.— rudyhuxtable
- The brothers and sisters are "stealing" the city.— TheGuyfromPhilly
- City Hall will circle their wagons to protect their fellow thieves. The new people can't say anything or they will be blocked from doing anything and will become a one termer.
- She may resign, but she has a call in to the DROP people to see what her balance is.— TheGuyfromPhilly
- Pretty sad that a public official is in such bad financial shape that she can't even afford to make a mortgage payment.
Even sadder that a public official is in such bad financial shape that she has to steal money to pay the loan that she needed to pay the mortgage she couldn't afford.— The Moose is Loose 
Isn't campain finance fraud a felony? Why hasn't this councilwoman been thrown out??!! Booka, Booka, Booka.- My voting days are officially over in Philadelphia. They are all crooks!— victim35
- Please do not give up. Then "they" definitely will win. — thelarch
Follow Chris on Twitter
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
Follow Dave on Twitter.
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
Follow Jan on Twitter
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
Follow Sean on Twitter
