NY-26: No Wonder Jon Powers Used Campaign Cash To Pay His Rent
by Matt at Sep 7th, 2008
Jerry Zremski has a very thorough piece on the incredibly negative Democratic primary in the 26th district.. but the one thing that really caught my eye was this:
The recent flier calls Powers “a teacher challenging parents to turn off the TV and video games and read to their kids.” On another page, it shows Powers in a classroom with elementary school students above the headline: “Soldier. Teacher. Democrat for Change.”
But Powers let his teaching certification expire last week, state Education Department records show. That followed a personal financial disclosure form showing he earned $640 last year, meaning he worked less than three weeks.
Combined with the money he made for his War Kids efforts in 2007, he had a combined income of $17,774, according to financial disclosure forms. No wonder he was caught using campaign funds to pay his rent. Currently, he is unemployed, and according to his campaign expenditures, he is not receiving a salary from his campaign funds…
How can he afford to live when he clearly isn’t working a job or earning an income? How is he paying rent now that he can’t use campaign funds since he’s already been caught?
Powers even admited on Scott Leffler’s show last month that he’s had a very challenging year financially:
CALLER: Good thanks. I know you already talked about War Kids this morning and I hope we find out more on Friday when you file your financial forms but I have a question about a different subject, I’m just wondering what you’ve been doing in the area for a paid occupation.
POWERS: What I’ve been doing in the area for a paid occupation?
CALLER: Yea
POWERS: Well first of all I have to say when I had to give up War Kids last May when I decided to run for Congress, so as of last May I was no longer associated with the organization and came home and decided to run, you know, I’ve had to do some teaching this fall and this spring I was using savings that I had as a soldier from serving in combat, where we took our combat pay and I was able to save some of the money I made over 15 months in Baghdad, this has been an incredibly challenging year for me, but I’m doing this because I believe in this country and I believe in getting this country back on track.
So, he’s dipping into his savings, has no current income, and despite the hefty salary he earned for his War Kids effort, he’s had a very challenging year?
Obviously, the very challenging year he’s had financially explains why he used campaign funds to pay his apartment rent for nearly a year, but that doesn’t explain how he’s getting by now.
Something just doesn’t add up.
