In a prior post , we commented on Leo Beitner's decision (back in July 2007) to withdraw from the Brooklyn Surrogate's race.
Many supporters were caught off-guard by the suddenness of the announcement (and the candidate's failure to consult with members of his finance committee prior to making that decision). And when some learned of the candidate's decision, many demanded a refund of their contributions.
We didn't expect to see a dime.
To our surprise, late yesterday we received a letter (dated October 29, 2007) from Beitner's campaign committee and enclosed was a check in the amount of $174.88 (dated October 15, 2007).*
The letter reads as follows:
Dear Friend:
Many thanks for your generous support to the Beitner campaign for Surrogate. Your support for Leo was most appreciated, and allowed him to obtain nearly 20,000 signatures on qualifying petitions.
Unfortunately, when some of the promised support did not materialize, Leo was forced to make the difficult choice to withdraw from the Surrogate's race. The decision was not an easy one and was disappointing to Leo and those, like you, who rallied behind his candidacy.
Because of judicial ethics rules, Leo is prohibited from knowing who contributed to his campaign, and as such, he is unable to extend his personal gratitude. He asked the Committee to extend his thanks to those who made this race possible.
The Committee is refunding to its contributors the entire balance of the campaign account, after payment of campaign expenses. A check representing your pro rata refund of the balance of the Committee's bank account is enclosed.
Again, thank you so much for your generosity and your commitment to honesty and integrity in the judiciary.
Sincerely,
Beitner for Judge
No methodology, calculation, accounting, statement of expenses or other support was supplied. (For you math whizzes, the refund was 34.976% of the original contribution.)
We're of the opinion that some documentation -- other than a form "thank you" -- would have been appropriate under the circumstances.
(So much for transparency.)
To download a copy of the Beitner letter, please use this link: Beitner for Judge (10/29/07)
To view our prior blog post on this topic, please use this link: The Brooklyn Machine is Alive and Well
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*Apparently it took Beitner's people two weeks to write the letter.