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Mayor could kill two birds with one campaign-fund stone
By adamg on Fri, 06/28/2013 - 9:21am
Josh Dawson proposes:
Mayor Menino has around $525k in his campaign account. He should use that money to pay for his name being taken off of all of these signs and banners throughout the city, and use some of the time he has left in office to sign an ordinance prohibiting any future mayor from using public property for their own name recognition purposes.
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Comments
He Should be charged
for using taxpayer money to inadvertently campaign.
Is Dawson just upset his name
Is Dawson just upset his name won't be on anything anytime soon?
Based on your comment
I'm assuming he's some small time runner for office.
But I agree with him, regardless. It's the same as using public money for lottery commercials with your name in it. And I couldn't care less if my name could never be on these signs.
He ran for Marty Walz's old seat
The other guy won.
Jay Livingstone
That's the other guy.
And if anyone wants his name taken off here - call Jay's campaign headquarters and get him to pay for it.
I agree with ya, but it's not
I agree with ya, but it's not an uncommon practice.
Way to justify
Way to justify the misuse of taxpayer funds!
There are lots of things that
There are lots of things that are "not...uncommon practice(s)". That doesn't mean they're right.
amen. this drives me crazy.
amen. this drives me crazy. the taxpayers bought and own it mayor, not you. and don't tell me how i should become mayor if i don't like it.
History
Isn't it just the least bit cool to walk by a city plaque with Curley's name on it, or somesuch other luminary from the past? Not that very much with Menino's name on it today is built to last seven decades hence, but there's an element of civic timestamping that goes into many of these markers that transcends the mere marking of one's territory or ego stroking.
Exactly.
Exactly.
We are not talking plaques
We are talking signs, light poles, dog catcher vehicles and just about anything else the city owns, not a permanent brass commemorative on the side of a building or park.
I'm not holding my breath - but yes I'd like to see the mayor pay to remove all this and somebody (either him or the next person) pledge not to use city resources put their names all over everything.
As for the funds in his account - I believe the law was changed so that the politicians can't personally take/use the money if they decide to close up shop - at least on the federal level.
What does happen to money in an election fund? Assuming you can't just give it away except perhaps to another candidate or to a charity. Guessing there might be some first amendment rulings that permit that kind of redistribution? Anybody know for sure?
thought also occurred to me - what kind of memorial should he have and where. Probably expensive to do this life size - but considering he had his hands in everything and spent his days all over the city - perhaps little gnome sized brass Meninos scattered all over the city?
Menignomes
Maybe that's how we pay for this - somebody can make and sell little Menignomes for your garden and the proceeds can pay to take his name off of things.
My favorite
Are the 6' high granite obelisks at the many entrances to Moakley Park (old Columbus Park) in South Boston. Each one has Joe Moakley's name engraved with Menino's below it carved the same size. I'm not sure which person they are honoring.
It would cost $500k to replace these alone.
Funny
Funny, I'm at a training class all week in the Financial District. And I can't help but notice all the things that have Mayor Menino's name on them... trash cans, signs on poles, lots of stuff.
And I could not help but think, wow it's going to cost the city a ton to get all this stuff changed. Even though it seems like a waste of $, its apart of doing business as the city and having such things with his name on it.
As much as I'd like to see someone else pay for the removal, it really is the city's issue, not the mayor. (they didn't have to put his name on everything....)
None of this is going to be removed
I'd be shocked if the City is going to have any of the Menino plaques removed. Although they are far fewer in number than Menino's plaques, if you walk around the city you still see these signs from past mayors on things that got installed during their terms. Over time, the trash cans and light poles etc will be replaced and the plaques will grow fewer in number and the next mayor will start plastering his name on everthing that went in during his term.
You don't think he and his lead staff demanded this?
I know at least one non profit organization that stopped hanging event banners on Boston streets because the mayor's office demanded his name be displayed, in a certain font, though the city and mayor provided zero funding to the event.
Shouldn't the surplus
in Menino's campaign account be equally distributed among the donors who provided the money in the first place?
Hes going to use that money
Hes going to use that money to get his name on the Convention Center.
Menino's campaign fund is probably closer to $523,875
Great idea, but Menino's campaign fund is probably closer to $523,875 this week. I'm confident that his lawyers have advised him to rush back the $1125 he received from the Southie developer who, the Herald reports, benefited from the Mayor's top aide pressuring the BRA to approve a controversial development, sans the required neighborhood meeting and publishing of the developer's newest plan. I'd imagine the remaining $523,875 will be kept on hand for any future legal fees.
The happiest day of my life
The happiest day of my life was the first time I *didn't* see that dick-bag Willard Romney's name on the "Welcome to Massachusetts" sign at the state line.
campaign funds, etc.
Actually, one of the things Mitt Romney did was announce he wasn't going to put his name on everything because it was a waste of taxpayer money.
Funny everyone starts happening to notice this now, not while he was has mayor for the last two decades. The fear of the Mayor must be waning.
He can do pretty much whatever he wants with the campaign funds. He 'may' decide to run for office in the future. He can give the money to local charities. He can have 'planning' meetings with his family and friends at the Ritz-Carlton, Menton, etc. for eternity. In other words, the money will be well spent and not returned. I think the Globe did an article a few years ago about ex-politicians like Jane Swift, etc. slowly drawing their accounts over the years.
It is good to be the King.
That's because
in his first days in office, one of the things the Mittster did was to order the removal of state officials names from all state highway signs like the "Massachusetts Welcomes You" ones.
He also ordered the total removal of the old "Rebuilding Massachusetts" signs at work zones that had names on them as well.
So he made two good decisions as governor. Although that still doesn't quite excuse him for ordering MassHighway to ditch their plans to remove the 128 designation south of Peabody in 2004.
The only place in Boston
The only place in Boston where you see the words "City of Boston" and don't see "Thomas M. Menino, Mayor" right underneath it is on parking tickets...
Did I miss something?
Would Dawson like Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner's signature copy on US currency be covered with a label printed at Geithner's expense at Staples, or the Bureau of Engraving and Printing?
SPQR
Yes, you did miss something
The point!