NY-26: Domagalski Calls on Jon Powers to Return Rangel Contributions
by Matt at Jul 11th, 2008
According to a press release I just received, Erie County Republican Party Chairman Jim Domagalski is calling on congressional candidate Jon Powers to return contributions he received from Rep. Charles Rangel, following today’s New York Times story on a number of Rangel’s sweetheart real estate deals.
In light of today’s New York Times article highlighting Rep. Charlie Rangel’s sweatheart [sic] real estate deals Erie County Republican Chairman James P. Domagalski called on Congressional candidate Jon Powers to show “leadership by example” and return Congressman Rangel’s $9,000 in campaign contributions.
“At a time when many Western New York families are being hit by the housing crisis Jon Powers is taking campaign contributions from a senior Democrat Congressman who now appears to have taken sweatheart real estate deals,” said Domagalski. “Jon Powers should cancel his upcoming fundraiser with Rangel and return his campaign contributions.”
According to the New York Times story:
While aggressive evictions are reducing the number of rent-stabilized apartments in New York, Representative Charles B. Rangel is enjoying four of them, including three adjacent units on the 16th floor overlooking Upper Manhattan in a building owned by one of New York’s premier real estate developers.
Mr. Rangel, the powerful Democrat who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, uses his fourth apartment, six floors below, as a campaign office, despite state and city regulations that require rent-stabilized apartments to be used as a primary residence.
Jon Powers has scheduled a joint fundraising event with Rep. Rangel, according to Roll Call.
I’m not counting on Jon Powers to return the contributions. Rangel himself refused to return thousands of dollars in Abramoff-connected cash he received at the height of the Abramoff scandal. Though, when Powers himself violated election laws for using campaign cash to pay his rent, he did pay the money back… but there a difference between a legal obligation and a moral/ethical one. Democrats have a long record of ignoring both, and as Powers continues to become more and more like his Democrat colleagues in Congress, the chances of him doing the right thing are significantly reduced.
So, what will Jon “Lead By Example” Powers do?
UPDATE: Rangel: Not unfair to have 4 rent-stabilized apts
