Government
Opponents decry McGrane’s District 3 campaign flier
Posted on Nov 01, 2009 by Rick Smith.
CEDAR RAPIDS — Both of City Council incumbent Jerry McGrane’s opponents say McGrane has sent a flier to his District 3 constituents that doesn’t tell the truth about opponent Pat Shey, who currently is an at-large council member.
Shey on Sunday called the mailing “character assassination” and “a lie,” while candidate Kathy Potts called the mailing “dirty politics.”
The flier, in part, says Shey “had been accused of ethics violations and appeared before the city ethics board … TWICE!”
In fact, Shey twice sought an opinion from the Board of Ethics related to his private employment, first as a bank development officer and then as the part owner in a contracting business, and how his job might conflict with a development project in front of the City Council. In the first instance, the ethics board advised him to recuse himself from voting on matters related to the development, which Shey did. In the second, the board concluded Shey, who recused himself on votes in question, had acted appropriately.
McGrane on Sunday referred the matter to a campaign adviser.
McGrane’s recent flier to constituents also noted that Shey did not file a routine annual campaign disclosure report in January 2008 as he should have. Shey acknowledged the oversight on Sunday.
Potts, though, said McGrane has a current violation of the state’s campaign finance law. The law says a candidate must file a form of campaign organization with the state Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board within 10 days of raising more than $750 in a campaign. McGrane had raised more than that amount early this summer but didn’t file his document until September, Potts noted.
McGrane on Sunday referred the matter to his campaign treasurer, Shirley Miller, who admitted the error. Miller said she notified the state office immediately upon learning of the error in September.
Shey on Sunday said he has his own fliers going out to the constituents in District 3, which has precincts in southeast and southwest Cedar Rapids. Shey said his flier talks about his own accomplishments. It doesn’t mention McGrane, he said.
“He had more than three years to do something, and now it’s all about me,” Shey said of McGrane’s fliers. “What upsets me the most is the character assassination.
“To me it’s a question of honor. He just took the gloves off and fabricated this.”
Shey also said last week that McGrane’s TV ads about attendance at council meetings and a “buy-local” initiative were misleading in the first instance and untrue in the second. McGrane said the ads were factual.
lobosolo
02. Nov, 2009
Shey and McGrane both need to go, too bad potts is the only alternative.
96Bravo
02. Nov, 2009
Jerry was factual in his claim that Pat Shey did not support a buy local resolution, in fact Shey called it "a solution in search of a problem". Pat Shey tried to do a flip-flop on his earlier position and misled both the public and the media until he was proved, in print and on the record, to not be telling the truth. Pat further states in above article that, "now it's all about me". That is exactly Pat's problem; he always has thought this whole public service thing is all about him, he forgot that he is supposed to be representing people, not trying to rule over them, or hustle a buck out of them.
thumbsupracing
02. Nov, 2009
Go with the lesser of all evils and get rid of two incumbents with one vote!
TappedOut
02. Nov, 2009
Hey Gazette, in light of McGrane's dirty politics, care to reconsider your endorsement?
knarfgnik
02. Nov, 2009
Interesting….. I wrote a reply asking the Gazette to reconsider their endorsement and it didn't get published>>>>>. I wonder why????????
Hugs4u
02. Nov, 2009
Shey and McGrane both need kicked to the curb and out of office. Too many consultants got rich off of them.
gardbr
02. Nov, 2009
“He had more than three years to do something, and now it’s all about me,” Shey said. Gee, didn't Shey have the same amount of time as McGrane and he did nothing? And isn't Shey making money from the problems associated with the lack of action and need for repair and reconstruction from the Flood of 2008. but there are many people that have never received anything from the City?
NotYourAvgBear
02. Nov, 2009
The consultant that is not listed is Todd Henderson. According the the reports made last week, McGrane paid him $5,000 for consulting services. Who else paid Todd Henderson for consulting services? Ron Corbett.
tle1952
02. Nov, 2009
why comment? just vote
Iowarch
02. Nov, 2009
If this is a vote over the lesser of two evils, I'd say the one with the rocks in his pocket deserves an investigation of his own glass house. If all McGrane has to do is shout from the roof tops "Buy Local" and that is a campaign issue, I'd say that is mighty weak for a councilman who has been in office since the very begining of this new system of government. Tell me just one accomplishment he has made other than showing up and voting? Most meetings he just sits and if he didn't vote you'd think he was unable to speak. I don't think he grasps the depth of the discussion he finds himself in and has little interest learning what it will take to get up to speed. Bringing up the ethics question should have been done when the ethics board was dealing with the question, not after the case is closed. Timing is everything when you want to get things right, McGrane has no interest in that, only supplementing his retirement check so he can pay for his new house the city so graciously gave him.
Prplehaze
02. Nov, 2009
After reading this I thought I stepped in to a Nationwide election. McGrane has the federal level mentality and responses, "contact some one else, not me". And Shey to me is too shifty and not direct enough. Potts will probably get a lot of votes based on the level of mistrust these two have displayed. As far as buy local goes I hope all of the supporters of "buy local" step up and thank themselves when the taxpayers take the hit because the city has to "buy local"
guardian44
02. Nov, 2009
Who is this Todd Henderson? Is he local?
Tyree_C
02. Nov, 2009
Can't resist a two-fer. Heck, at this point I'd vote for Satan and Lucifer before voting for an incumbent. After you eliminate the impossible, whatever's left is it, and that makes it Potts.
NotYourAvgBear
02. Nov, 2009
Todd Henderson worked for Paul Pate when he was Mayor. His wife, Sara lost her seat on the Council to Monica Vernon. He has been tagging along with Corbett to his meetings. Corbett paid him $850 for consulting services according to the state web site. One R told me he was a campaign consultant for Romney in Iowa too.
lobosolo
02. Nov, 2009
you are correct, his wife seems o.k. but Todd is a piece of work. I'm not sure why the Corbett campaign threw him a bone with this job, last i heard Todd was out of work.
interesting that Kathy Potts is republican running against two democrats and yet Henderson is helping the democrat when he is supposedly a republican…. strange days. maybe he is a Monica Vernon type republican…. you know, republican when it's convenient…
Johnnyg1
02. Nov, 2009
So What? It's too late now anyway, and if some canidates hired a consultant that made some errors of judgement, it pales in comparison to what the consultants hired by the city did.
It's too late. Everyone's mind is made up. We win, you lose.
ICU2
02. Nov, 2009
Any candidate who resorts to dirty politics loses my vote immediately. If you cannot stand on what you have ACCOMPLISHED already in your many months/years on the council to date – not just some slogans of what you say you stand for but what you actually ACCOMPLISHED in your terms of office so far — then you are full of hot air and hogwash. Because if all you have to stand on is the dirt you make upon the folks running against you then you must not have done much while you actually had the chance!