Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Brown's Council leadership position in jeopardy

After damaging disclosures that she dipped into campaign funds to pay personal expenses, some Democrats are maneuvering to remove Blondell Reynolds Brown from her post as Council's Democratic whip.

Brown's Council leadership position in jeopardy

POSTED: Thursday, January 31, 2013, 10:49 AM

Some of City Council’s Democratic members are maneuvering to strip City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown of her leadership position as Council’s majority whip, in reaction to a Board of Ethics investigation that found she had used $4,700 in campaign contributions for personal expenses, among scores of other offenses.

Sources said Brown had warned her colleagues in advance that the Ethics Board was investigating the financing of her 2011 campaign, but she had suggested the probe focused on bookkeeping problems. Some Council members privately expressed amazement at the conduct detailed in the actual report, released Monday.

It revealed dozens of previous-unreported donations, running into tens of thousands of dollars, and her use of a fictitious expenditure to cover up the repayment of a personal $3,300 loan from Chaka Fattah Jr., the son of the West Philadelphia congressman. The campaign listed the $3,300 as a payment to a printing firm.

The Ethics Board levied a record penalty, $48,834 in fines and restitution, against Brown and her campaign committee, and set up detailed disclosure requirements to check on how Brown would come up with the money to pay off the fines.

So far, Brown herself has publicly dismissed her personal use of campaign dollars as “an error in judgment” and refused to answer any detailed questions from reporters.

Majority whip is the third-highest position in the Council hierarchy, behind Council President Darrell Clarke and Majority Leader Curtis Jones.

Theoretically, the whip’s job is to count noses on significant legislation in advance in advance of actual votes, and when necessary, to “whip” recalcitrant members into the positions favored by Council leadership. In practice, it rarely works that way. The only real significance to the position is, the whip gets a bump in her salary, now $129,904 a year.

Sources said nobody had figured out the procedures for taking the position away from Brown. But they speculated that she would resign the post on her own if she sees her Democratic colleagues lining up in sufficient numbers to remove her.

BOB WARNER @ 10:49 AM Permalink | 29 comments

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Comments (29)

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:10 AM, 01/31/2013

This woman is a flat out criminal. Read the agreement that she signed with the Ethics Board at www.recallblondellreynoldsbrown.org and watch for the petition on change.org to DA Williams to investigate and then prosocutte her admitted crimes!

— SPENDSPEND

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:18 AM, 01/31/2013

Ya got my name on that petition bro'...it is long past time the public stood up to these politcal thugs.

— The Monk

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 7:47 AM, 02/01/2013

Ya'know there's a segment of the population that understands clearly why it is said that George Bush was great and that Barack Obama is a Muslim.

They understand clearly and completely.

— Cuddles

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:13 AM, 01/31/2013

She's obviously unqualified for her position.
Just one glance was needed.

— Hobo Floto Voto

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:16 AM, 01/31/2013

Yawn.......burp!

— g-bman

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:16 AM, 01/31/2013

I signed up with www.recallblondellreynoldsbrown.org. This broad belongs in JAIL! Hey, Mr DA, are you listening to the people?

— The Monk

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:06 PM, 01/31/2013

I dislike the term (broad) she is a women and right or wrong she doesn't deserve to be called anything other than Councilwomen Brown

— granniepam

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 1:43 PM, 01/31/2013

Councilwoman Brown, granniepam. Feel better?

— The Monk

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:24 AM, 01/31/2013

Time to step down, crook. How much of the rest of the $30k you needed to stave off foreclosure of your own home came from there? I'd bet most/all of it. What, they don't pay you enough for the 'work' you do to pay your bills? Maybe you should have paid your bills like most people.

— PhillySubsMac

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:25 AM, 01/31/2013

It is totally beyond me how members of City and State government can and do remain silent when the behavior of a colleague and/or colleagues bring disgrace to the entire legislative body.
This woman's arrogance and ignorance only reenforce the pervasive and unrelenting impression that all of City Council is a sham and a complete mockery of Justice itself.
Does she think that letting us eat cheese steak is somehow more palatable than letting us eat cake?

— He Visto Todo

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:37 AM, 01/31/2013

Ms. Blondell has shown a penchant for lying and seeking easy solutions for complex problems. Instead of problem solving, she resorted to illegal activity . In other words, she is a perfectly acceptable leader for a corrupt system, and a paragon of Philly Politics. Blondie for Mayor of the cesspool!

— ricciaje

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:45 AM, 01/31/2013

I'll bet she herself sees nothing particularly wrong with her actions. It is a unique cultural thing - a mindset of sorts held by too many people - here in Philadelphia. From what I've observed, it has nothing to do with race or gender either.

— Tkat

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 12:00 PM, 01/31/2013

Guess she didn't get the memo that the State Rep couldn't get away from her drunk driving charges despite having the fix in. This Councilwoman will not get away with these extremely pervasive ethics violations, either...

— Getinline

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:51 AM, 01/31/2013

DA Seth Williams's "Corruption Task Force", after finding no problems at Traffic Court, will move on to investigate the esteemed Council Woman. If investigated and prosecuted, it will bring Seth's grand total of successful corruption prosecutions to " 1 "

— tlee

0 like this / 0 don't • Posted 11:58 AM, 01/31/2013

Her blase response to reporter's questions exposes her lack of character. She is unfit to hold elective office. Her severe lack of financial skills and poor compliance with election law reveals her to be useless as legislator. If she thinks this is going away simply because she refuses to discuss it or merely claims it was "an error in judgement", she reveals a complete lack of political acumen. She doesn't know that Philly voters will not accept excuses for her rampant rules violations...She can resign now or stick it out and get kicked out at the next election...

— Getinline