When last we reported on the madcap fiscal reporting high jinks of Erie County Democratic Committee Chairman, Jeremy "Wonder Boy" Zellner, our hero was twelve grand plus in the hole in his party finance account. Always willing to help out a fellow Democrat in distress, your writer sent the following note to the New York State Board of Elections, requesting their assistance in rescuing Wonder Boy from his peril.
The State Board, in its inimitable way, never acknowledged receipt of my plea, but suddenly, and without prior warning or fanfare, new financial reports have appeared online. See: http://www.elections.ny.gov:8080/plsql_browser/getreports?filer_in=C21125&fyear_in=2014&rep_in=J
Well knock me over with a feather, Wonder Boy is now $4500 in the black! Who would think I could render such service to the party, merely by sending a letter? Seems like I should be a leading contender for the 2014 Democrat of the Year Award. A cursory review of the new report reveals that Individual/Partnership contributions have increased from $19,743.99 to $34,798.99. Since these are historical reports of past receipts and expenditures, this unexplained 76% increase is truly remarkable. Similarly, corporate contributions have risen from $3,347.00 to $4,946.00 (48%), while other monetary contributions went from $4,794.00 to $5,242.00 (9%), accompanied by an astonishing decrease in expenditures from $37,818.63 to $27,821.01 (-26%). These are breathtaking results. Income is way up AND expenses are way down. What an incredible turnaround! If it were not for a sudden 400% increase in transfers out by $10,000, the ECDC would be floating in loose cash. The previous filing is available below, and analysis of reported differences is left to the interested student.
Well knock me over with a feather, Wonder Boy is now $4500 in the black! Who would think I could render such service to the party, merely by sending a letter? Seems like I should be a leading contender for the 2014 Democrat of the Year Award. A cursory review of the new report reveals that Individual/Partnership contributions have increased from $19,743.99 to $34,798.99. Since these are historical reports of past receipts and expenditures, this unexplained 76% increase is truly remarkable. Similarly, corporate contributions have risen from $3,347.00 to $4,946.00 (48%), while other monetary contributions went from $4,794.00 to $5,242.00 (9%), accompanied by an astonishing decrease in expenditures from $37,818.63 to $27,821.01 (-26%). These are breathtaking results. Income is way up AND expenses are way down. What an incredible turnaround! If it were not for a sudden 400% increase in transfers out by $10,000, the ECDC would be floating in loose cash. The previous filing is available below, and analysis of reported differences is left to the interested student.
| complete_report.pdf |
What are we to make of this fiscal miracle? Has ECDC treasurer, Gayle L. Syposs, been hanging with Philip Seymour Hoffman? Tens of thousands of dollars of income and expenditures obviously misreported. People have been convicted of crimes for less. How does anyone know that these new numbers are accurate? Where is the "...audit of financial records, including the income, expenditures, and outstanding liabilities of the party,..." which Article XI of the ECDC rules states "...shall be conducted by an outside independent firm, on an annual basis, with the report to be submitted to the Executive Committee" ? Why isn't the State Board of Elections conducting an inquiry into this magic bookkeeping? So many questions, so few answers.
