July 2, 2008 - 11:01am
UPDATED: Rossi play for AquaSox fans called foul, Dems insist Rossi knew about plot
By Bryan Bissell
State Sen. Dino Rossi: Campaign photoDino Rossi's campaign recently sent out letters to the Seattle Mariners single A affiliate Everett AquaSox's team mailing list inviting them to join the campaign's Snohomish County finance committee for a $100 per person fundraiser at a July 7 AquaSox game, the Seattle Times' David Postman is reporting.
The fundraising letter, however, did not go over well with Sox fans. Many of them complained to the ownership group, in which Rossi himself has a minority stake, prompting the team's majority owners, Peter A. and Peter E. Carfagna, to apologize for what they called a compromise of privacy.
"We recently learned that our personal privacy policy was compromised in an attempt to solicit your support for a partisan political fundraiser," majority owners Peter A. and Peter E. Carfagna told the team's mailing list. "In that regard, on behalf of our family ownership group, we would like to express our sincere apologies."
Postman obtained a full copy of the letter here.
The campaign later told the Times that AquaSox General Manager Brian Sloan gave a campaign worker the mailing list, which they took at the time as a gesture of support from the organization. Rossi spokesperson Jill Strait acknowledged they were wrong in their assumption, apologized to AquaSox fans, and pointed out that the candidate had nothing to do with the decision.
UPDATE:
The Washington State Democratic Party is claiming that Rossi knew about plans to use his AquaSox connections for political gain.
At a campaign kickoff fundraiser last December Tom Hoban, who is a backer of Rossi and a co-owner of the AquaSox, told Rossi and supporters that "is by design that a 2,500-seat venue, and Dino Rossi in it, might help out if he decided to run for office."
Audio of the clip is here.
"Republican Dino Rossi continues his questionable fundraising practices, which began with the sleazy campaign front group he used to build his donor lists, and has now progressed to violating the privacy of thousands of baseball fans to stuff his campaign coffers," said Kelly Steele, spokesman for Washington State Democrats. "After 8 years of deception and lies from George Bush, the last thing Washingtonians need is Bush Republican like Dino Rossi - who has now been caught in a bald-faced lie - in the governor's mansion."
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- Dr. Matt Manweller, a political science professor at Central Washington University, during a confrontation with Democratic Party volunteers who were protesting against Republican gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi's opposition to the state's current minimum wage policy, which increases the wage level with inflation every year.
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Rossi Fundraising / Tribes / Ethics
Michael, nice comment, you fail to note that Rossi is also an owner in the Aqua Sox's. Mr. Rossi has had a several fund raising problems. Raising money at a Christian Mens group, (this puts the group at risk as a tax exempt organization). He raised money on Whidbey Island Naval Air Base, a violation of numerous federal laws and regulations, now he uses the mailing list from a sports team that he is a part owner. This is called a pattern, even though using the mailing list not illegal as far as I know it does bring up an ethics question.
Dino Rossi is the Skipper of his campaign, when a ship runs aground, the guy at top is responsible, if he did not know why didn't he? Worries me that he would be Governor and never take responsibility for his administration.
Now onto the Indian money thing: When this first came out I too was mad, and disappointed. So I did my research, here is a very complicated story, that I will try to explain quickly. The compact with the Indians, in regards to gambling had been settled, then some State Legislators, Prosecutors (including the late Norm Malang (a Republican) went to the Gov. and asked her to do what she could to stop the expansions of the Casinos. They were growing in numbers but most alarming was the size they could grow to. The Prosecutors were concerned about organized crime and illegal activities. So the Gov. reopened negotiations, and with the give and take of negotiations the Indians will limit the amount of slot machines, and size of the Casinos. What they got is no State Tax. But do some Checking Michael, the Tribes are fairly good (not perfect) at helping local government groups, (Fire, Police etc) with money.
Now the money to the State Democrats. Here is a fact that may bother you Mike, so steady yourself, the Democrats are the MAJORITY in Olympia, so hey why would the Tribes give the Republicans money? I have not checked but I bet they have given to the Republicans. So yes on the surface it looked bad because of the spin Rossi and company put on the Gambling. It is just spin thats all, if there was more we should be hearing about a Federal investigation, after all Republicans are in Charge in the Federal Government, and they have a Republican Assistant Attorney General right in Downtown Seattle, he is new because the last one, a Republican would not do a Witch Hunt for them. I bet the one there now is aware of that.
So Michael, go back and watch Fox Noise and please, please be a good American and do your Research before you spew out your hate.
So let me get this
So let me get this straight... because a friend of Dino's said at a fundraiser 6 months ago that the Aquasox ownership might benefit Dino in the election, that means that Dino was personally involved in some "plot" to use the club's mailing list to get donations? Get back to me when you have some ACTUAL EVIDENCE that he knew.
I tell you what though, I guarantee you that Gregoire knew about a $650,000 fundraising venture when she let the Tribes go tax-exempt on casino revenues. Someone remind me where the corruption is again?
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