Full Disclosure

It must be tough on political candidates to have everyone watching what you are doing. Must be even worse to have your constituents (or possible future constituents) look into your background and question your record, including what you’ve left out—in some cases intentionally. I guess that’s why “full disclosure” is always the best policy. I’ve always tried to be that open and honest. I wish more politicians and wannabes were the same way.

So, in the spirit of full disclosure, I am divulging what I’ve been up to for the last week or so. After looking into the FEC complaint procedure, I have mailed an official complaint about Bern Ewert’s FEC filings to the Office of the General Counsel in Washington, D.C. There are too many details that just don’t add up, in my opinion. We are talking about someone who began talking about running for Congress and getting letters of support in “late spring or early summer;” had radio and newspaper publicity in the middle of November; and made his official candidacy announcements in Charlottesville, Danville, and Bedford on December 3, 2005. We’re talking about someone who told 5^th District Democratic chairs that he had “filed in January but the FEC did not get his documents,” signed “replacement” paperwork one day before he told a reporter he “doesn’t know why it (his name) is not listed on the agency’s Web site,” and, at the same time, reported that he had raised between $20,000 and $30,000 by the third week in February. You know, my BS indicator goes crazy over this kind of stuff. Therefore, I am questioning his filings, how much he spent in the 7-8 months from first talking about it until the end of the year and how much he had in donations (including in-kind).

I mailed my notarized document (original letter with documentation plus four copies) on Tuesday, March 21, 2006, at 4:07 P.M. At least that’s what my postal receipts say. The one for certified mail is hand stamped with the various postage amounts and the date, while the computer-generated receipt has only the total money amount but also included a timestamp in addition to the date. We are definitely high-tech at the local post office.

Receipts can tell you a whole lot about a mailing transaction. My certified mail slip also records that I wanted a return receipt as well. I want to know who signed for the documents and exactly how long it takes for a package to get to Washington, D.C., from little ol’ podunk Cumberland County. We’re pretty much out in the sticks here—not like Charlottesville, which is right on a major interstate. So it won’t be long before I have the answers to my “who” and “how long” questions.

Of course, with online tracking I’ll know when it was delivered long before the little green postcard arrives in my mailbox. And, hopefully, the FEC can clear up some of the mysteries about Bern’s filings as well. I’ll keep you posted.