When you see Gentlemen Jim making a $5000, then a $15000 contribution to a Central Committee this late in an election cycle, it usually is not due to generosity or out of a desire to reward a committee for service.
But – here is the problem, the Tehama County Republican Central Committee, Bob Williams and Jim Nielsen all use (((wait for it))) Dave Gilliard as their consultant! David Stafford Reade is Jim Nielsen’s chief of staff, Reade has been involved in the Williams campaign and is close to the Cent Com up there.
The Tehama County Central Committee used Dave Gilliard to run their independent expenditure – a blatant conflict of interest, and a clear violation of campaign finance law. This is also a clear attempt to violate contribution limits.
Polling data shows Dan Logue with a huge lead over Williams who is trailing into a distant third. David Reade, Dave Gilliard and Jim Nielsen desperately want Williams in the runoff against Logue so they can bleed more money off of Dan Logue and so Dave Gilliard (and possibly David Stafford Reade) can continue to leech Williams for paychecks.
What is it with Dave Gilliard these days? Is it the prospect of losing several races that has him making elementary mistakes or has David Stafford Reade’s ethics finally taken hold of Dave Gilliard?
Who’s driving the bus over there? I thought it was Mark Spannagel, but he is somewhere between axle two and three – but Gilliard and Reade appear headed there as well…
The Chico Enterprise-Record lit Nielsen up hard.
Political Practices Commission, said it is illegal for an Assembly member or state senator to make an independent expenditure on behalf of a candidate or to donate to a committee for that purpose.
Whether Nielsen’s gift broke the rules might depend on whether he knew the money he gave the central committee would be used for an independent expenditure, she said.
The Secretary of State’s site shows that on Friday, the central committee made the independent expenditure of $12,762 for radio advertising and mailers through Gilliard Blanning and Associates.
This firm, run by Dave Gilliard, also has been serving as the campaign consultant to Williams.
Things that make you go hmmm…
Williams, Logue, Nielsen and Gilliard could not be reached for comment this afternoon.
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