Long-time club activist David Jones was issued a criminal complaint by a special prosecutor as a result of an investigation into the Debi Rose campaign in 2009.
The accusation is that David stole and "criminally possessed" $5,000 from the campaign -- the payment that David received for his work as political consultant from the campaign treasurer. The special prosecutor alleges that David didn't have a contract or submit written documentation for his work, and that this is required by the Campaign Finance Board (CFB).
Everyone in our club knows how hard David worked, for many months, to get Debi Rose elected. One past President, Joy Robins, even remarked on Facebook that considering the time he put into that campaign, if he was only reimbursed $5,000 then it was David who was robbed.
Our club is also very aware of how fastidious the CFB can be: last year the CFB denied campaign funds to our club-endorsed candidate for Mayor, John Liu. I can also personally attest to the exacting nature of the CFB and how rigorously they question any perceived irregularity. I do not understand how it is possible for something that was approved by the CFB to be construed as a criminal act.
Tom Shcherbenko,
President,
Staten Island Democratic Association