Supervisor Reb Monaco’s campaign finance reports show he
accepted $1,412 toward brochure printing from DMB Associates in
February 2007, while the official reiterated his stance stated to
the Free Lance earlier this week after acknowledging he also
received unitemized contributions from the builder’s law firm
– that he has told the developer and others who donate they
are
”
not buying a vote.
”
For the full story detailing Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz receiving campaign support from Lombardo & Gilles, which represents DMB-El Rancho San Benito, go here.
HOLLISTER
Supervisor Reb Monaco’s campaign finance reports show he accepted $1,412 toward brochure printing from DMB Associates in February 2007, while the official reiterated his stance stated to the Free Lance earlier this week after acknowledging he also received unitemized contributions from the builder’s law firm – that he has told the developer and others who donate they are “not buying a vote.”
Monaco, reelected in November 2006 to a second term in District 4 by defeating Tracie Cone and John Hodges, is among three county supervisors who have either acknowledged or reported accepting donations from Lombardo & Gilles – the firm representing DMB-El Rancho San Benito in its pursuit of a 6,800-unit development off Highway 25 north of Hollister – or the developer itself.
Supervisors’ recognition of those donations came in light of a Free Lance investigation that found Lombardo & Gilles organized two fundraisers for Supervisor Jaime De La Cruz during his recent reelection campaign and offered to pick up a balance of about $100 on the official’s election-night party, which the firm also oversaw. De La Cruz has denied any “shenanigans” but conceded he would amend his reports to reflect missing campaign activity.
Firm partner Jeff Gilles has responded by saying the business backs officials who support the agriculture industry. Mike Roberts, DMB’s vice president of corporate entitlements, said he was unsure what led to the donation and he recognized that DMB-El Rancho San Benito has a policy against donating to political candidates.
Among the five supervisors, De La Cruz also listed a $300 donation on his reports from Lombardo & Gilles in April 2007, while Supervisor Anthony Botelho has acknowledged receiving “a few” $99 checks from the firm and Supervisor Margie Barrios today declined to reveal any donations of under $100 while saying she cannot recall if Lombardo & Gilles was among her donors. Supervisor Pat Loe, meanwhile, has denied accepting any support from the firm or DMB.
While three county supervisors have accepted Lombardo & Gilles’ donations, Monaco is the only one who received an itemized contribution of $100 or more from DMB, according to campaign documents.
Monaco said he believes the expense was for a mailer and he surmised it had been sent out during his campaign months prior, but that the bill came after the November 2006 election.
He said either he or someone from his campaign committee approached DMB about the donation.
“I authorized it,” he said. “I will stand up to that.”
He noted, in attempting to recall that donation, how he is “probably glad they did” contribute. Asked if he had been concerned about DMB donating while pursuing the board’s approval, Monaco responded: “I’ve told everybody, ‘You are not buying a vote when you contribute to me.'”
Monaco also pointed out that he had received campaign support from Ken Gimelli, who owned property on which the Dell Webb development had been considered in that same election cycle, and how he voted against that project.
During the entire 2006 race, which Monaco described as “brutal,” the supervisor raised $55,865 in 2006 and $2,000 in 2005, according to campaign documents.
A DMB-El Rancho San Benito official talked today about the company’s $1,412 donation to Supervisor Reb Monaco and said he “couldn’t speak to the decision making” that went into the February 2007 contribution because he had not arrived as the project’s manager until July 2008.
Mike Roberts, the company’s vice president of corporate entitlements, said he was unsure what led to the donation and he recognized that DMB-El Rancho San Benito has a policy against donating to political candidates.
He said he was uncertain why the business made the donation at the time and that he did not know whether the company policy had been in place two years ago.
“I can’t speak to what the policy was back in early 2007,” Roberts said.
