Councilwoman refuses to answer questions about campaign finance violations
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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.
Comments (57)
Why isn't her Democratic -ness mentioned. Anything to do with the happenings of a politician ALWAYS gets equal FRONT PAGE billing if he / she's REPUBLICAN. Yet all traffic court judges and related co-defendants ARE INDEED DEMOCRATS, but there is no mention in any of these shocking exposé articles.— zen- Where is the US attorney on this matter?— aguckin
http://www.recallblondellreynoldsbrown.org/index.html- “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.
Is that actually supposed to mean something?!?
— citizen k - Another reason rest of the state hates Philly. A corrupt official on city council admitting guilt and gets support from Philly officials. Amazing. Let's hope she is somehow forced to resign. Huge salary and she is about to lose her home because she is tens of thousands behind...what? Would you want this idiot managing your money? No much wonder Philly is a mess with people like this running the city. Holly Molly!— thepaguy
- This seems less an ethics violation and more of a fraudulent act. Lying on an official city document should have some consequences beyond political ones.— bobcitydoc
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I don't blame Blondell. I wouldn't want to say anything either. In fact, I'd blow town to Mexico.- did brady,rendell, or nutter comment at all.....
go philly voters you deserve this treatment forever......— frank1121 - So what if she resigns, another corrupt Democrat will take her place. It's Philly. Keep voting Democrat!!— LouDiamondPhillipsheadScrewdriver
- Has anyone asked if she'll be stepping down?— tr88
- If the council, many of whom I know, respect and support... allows her to continue in her major leadership role it will be disgraceful and speak volumes about true ethical standards. Step down Blondell.— Sassman
- Mr. Jones,
Leadership should be earned, sometimes "by example". This is not the example of leadership that I want.— thelarch - My voting days are officially over in Philadelphia. They are all crooks!— victim35
- Please do not give up. Then "they" definitely will win. — thelarch
Isn't campain finance fraud a felony? Why hasn't this councilwoman been thrown out??!! Booka, Booka, Booka.- 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 - She may resign, but she has a call in to the DROP people to see what her balance is.— 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.
- The brothers and sisters are "stealing" the city.— TheGuyfromPhilly
- 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
- 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
- "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 - 60 yers of democratic rule. you deserve what you voted for.— CD75
so being a member of Philadanco was not adequate training for future city leader blondell reynolds-brown?— hannibal barca- “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 
Comment removed.- Philadelphia...corrupt, content, and provincial. Really, Philly, the rest of the state and country are laughing with you and not at you.— FletcherT
- The laws are for common folk— tommy rivers
- What kind of ridiculous name is Blondell?— rothstein12
- Comment removed.
- Keep electing those Democrats.— discobiscuit
- I'm a Democrat, but I hate big-city politics (Philadelphia and elsewhere) because there are no checks on Democrats and the sleaziest ones get to stick around no matter what they do wrong, and they give the rest of us a brutal reputation.— Nutburgers
- Yawn.................burp!— g-bman
- Her political affiliation is immaterial, imo. She is corrupt and should be ousted from any public office. To say that she is supported in a leadership position is indicative of the ethics that are practiced by those who so freely lend support to crooks.— POF
- This woman is a disgrace and she needs to do the right thing and step down, but she won't. These City Council men and women just take and take and take, but give nothing back. They do nothing for the citizens of this city. They are a waste.— fozziebear
- Who knows what she is allowing the others to get away with. If she did it so can they.— everettsleon
- Steal is a crime, and again, Seth will turn his head the other way.— DEBBY1958
- Comment removed.
- MMA costs $16k per year. why doesnt mrs reynolds-brown send her daughter to one of philadelphia's (free) public schools?
— hannibal barca - Comment removed.
- And the Lying circus keeps on going around. Did you think she was going to answer any questions??? Maybe her friend Num Nut Nutter will explain why she is a lying cheating s of b... ?? He is her best friend. Philly Dems are great aren't they??
t— rduexpress - you people of Philadelphia need to stop voting people in just because they are black. Vote for a personwho can actually run a business.— BYEPHILLY
- Where is CleanupPhilly now that we really need him?— Sanchez
- I don't know where he is, but where ever he is, he should only stay there. — CommonSense in Philly
- I think CleanupPhilly may have had health issues. I haven't seen comments from him in a long while. Who knows. He might not be in this world anymore. No way he would just quit commenting if he was still around.
- More like he has MENTAL issues. — CommonSense in Philly
- I agree. I think he finally gave up. These corrupt pols are too entrenched to be removed. These city democrats cannot be saved. They are the most corrupt city officials in the USA, up there with the Chicago thugs. The issue is there are too many uneducated and ignorant voters in Philly to ever change the political landscape for the better in this city. Provincial thinking at it's finest.
Curtis Jones is a disgrace! How DARE he make such an ignorant statement with a straight face. This guy is a tool. City Council should be ashamed of itself for letting Brown continue in her position. Ethics? They don't need no stinkin' ethics...— The Monk- she can't survive making $125k/year and needed to steal $3,000 from her campaign account, yet thinks she can manage the city's finances? she is Exhibit A for why philadelphia is turning into detroit on the schuykill
if money is tight, maybe her daughter should withdraw from tony MMA on the main line. that way we taxpayers would save money on her use of a city-owned vehicle she uses to drive her daughter there— hannibal barca - Have any of these articles indicated that she is a Democrat? Or is that understood?— Wiseman6
- Please, can someone with a voice in this city demand some change?! Obviously people who follow the law are at a disadvantage here. This is disgusting, and her continued support by others in the face of this corruption, however not surprising, turns this city into a banana republic of the worst kind. Ms. Brown, you are a disgrace and embarassment to this city. You should resign immediately.— TheLowDown
- Curtis Jones used a car from the Philadelphia Community Development Corp and money from PCDC to fund his campaign for city council, so it is no surprise he is defending Brown. This is absurd. Brown should resign. There is ZERO accountability in Philly. I hope the Inqy Editorial Board calls for her removal.— TR3
- There ain't no question about it. Blondie must resign. We knew that she was dirty as they come...we could just smell it in her actions. Now that she has been exposed for this, one wonders... how much don't we know? Blondie gots to go.
— DarnelX
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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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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
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