Saturday, October 30, 2010

What Kind of Republicans Support Neal Jackson?

Answer: The kind who have been rejected by Republican voters and don't have anything in common with Republican principles or policies.

Everyone remembers Wayne Gilchrest, right? He was our district's congressman who couldn't win as an incumbent in a three-way primary. And then after losing he went on to endorse Democrat Frank Kratovil.

Or perhaps you remember how as our Congressman he pledged to us that he would vote against tax increases and then repeatedly broke that promise? Or maybe you remember how he has come out in full-throated support of Martin O'Malley, our Democrat, tax-hiking governor? Or how he came out in support of Obamacare?






And how about Frank Frohn? Remember him, he's the guy who tried to convince Queen Anne's County he was a real Republican even though he had made multiple large donations to Frank Kratovil, our Democrat congressman who votes with Nancy Pelosi 85% of the time and supported economy killing measures like the Stimulus and Cap & Tax.

In fact, he hasn't just donated to his buddy Kratovil, but not counting his own campaign, he's only donated $330 to Republican candidates and organizations over the last 8 years while he's donated $2445 to Democrats over the same period. Some Republican.

And then finally there's David G. Smith of Church Hill, MD, a guy whom no one has heard of.

The fact that these are the only Republicans Neal Jackson can roll out in support of his campaign should make clear that he and his ethically deficient, kiddie porn defending attitude aren't right for Queen Anne's County.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Neal Jackson's Shadow PAC

UPDATE



Republicans for Jackson is now listed on the state's campaign finance website. However, the committee lists no contributions or expenditures. The committee was probably formed after the last reporting deadline, therefore allowing it's controllers to send mailers without the chance for the public to know who funded them until after the eclection. The committee chair is David G. Smith, the unknown Republican who is mentioned in the post above this one.


























Not only is Neal Jackson ethically challenged but so are his financial/political benefactors.

Today I received this mailer titled "Republicans Support Jackson"


















If you look up Republicans for Jackson in the Maryland State Board of Elections campaign finance database you will see no such committee is listed on it's list of registered PACS

However, note the mailer's authority line: "Republicans for Jackson, Sherry Adam Treasurer" and the 1636 Ruthsburg Rd, Centreville, MD address.

Sherry Adam just happens to also be the treasurer for the Republican Environmental Alliance PAC, formerly chaired by QACA chief Jay Falstad.
















Thanks to our reporting on his illegal activity, Jay was forced resignas chair of that PAC. At least Jay has that sweetheart mortgage from anti-growth money man Alan Griffith.

What this unregistered PAC means by "Republicans for Jackson" is in reality Jay Falstad for Neal Jackson.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Neal Jackson & Ethics, an Impossible Combo?

During his campaign to become a county commissioner Neal Jackson has repeatedly stated that ethics are important…but apparently not when they refer to his own actions.

Jackson served on the QAC Ethics Commission until April 2 of this year. Through that position he learned confidential facts about a local citizen through Ethics Commission discussions about an Advisory Opinion issued in January. The Ethics Code requires the members and staff keep confidential any information that could potentially identify the person it concerns (§8-10,F). It's an obligation most of its members take seriously, redacting or otherwise masking the identity of anyone in an Advisory Opinion and keeping confidential any details of any complaint.

Not Mr. Jackson though. An important man like him couldn't be bothered to worry about the Ethics Code so he took the initiative to not only discuss the details of this case but to name the individual and disclose personal financial details he was legally required to keep confidential in the local newspapers as well as in campaign stump speeches and answers to various questions at forums.

It seems pretty obvious that Jackson thought these violations of his obligation to confidentiality would somehow benefit his political aspirations. And that’s another big no-no. In addition to binding its members to confidentiality the Ethics Code Jackson is eager to invoke specifically prohibits using confidential info obtained via a county position for personal gain.
§8-11,A. In general. Queen Anne's County officials, board and commission members, and employees, as provided in § 8-5, are prohibited from the following:
Intentionally using the prestige of their office, or confidential information acquired in their official County position, for their own private gain or that of another. The performance of usual and customary constituent services without additional compensation is not prohibited under this section.
As an important aside, §8-13,F of the Ethics Code is explicit that any individual must file a financial disclosure within 30 days of leaving office “for any reason other than death.” Apparently Jackson thought that didn't apply to him. He did file the disclosure, but not in the prescribed time period, and not even during the next month. I guess when you are above the law absolute deadlines don’t apply to you.
The Ethics Code is a simple document that is only several pages long. As Neal Jackson is so fond of reminding people he served on the Ethics Commission and was a big shot career DC attorney before that. There is no possible way that Jackson was not aware of these obligations. That leaves only one possible conclusion - he does not care about the law, the impacts of violations on those affected, at least when it comes to him and and his other fellow liberal elites.

Considering how recently he transplanted himself in QAC, we don’t know a whole lot about Jackson, but what we do know isn’t good.

He rushed to defend the right of a convicted kiddie pornographer to trade pictures of sexual abuse on the internet because he was “writing a story.”

He eagerly accepted large sums of cash from Henry Sears, a man who seems to have bought his way out of one environmental law violation after another.

He is proudly supported by Sveinn Storm, a thug who calls government on everyone else but works on his own properties without permits and in violation of EPA lead regulations.

And he himself has flagrantly violated the County Ethics Code on multiple points, even though he complains of others’ supposed tin ears on the issue.

It is clear that this is one heck of a guy and given a little political power would be one heck of a politician. Such politicians sometimes get lots of press, just not the kind we want in Queen Anne’s County.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Trust Svienn Storm?

Centreville's infamous ice cream man/political bully, Sveinn Storm, has a sign up in front of his house asking "Trust Developers?"


















Whatever.


However, if you look across South Commerce street you will see Storm's decrepit property, you know the one he is renovating without a town permit and in violation of EPA regulations.


















Someone tell Sevinn we have all three of those already or did I imagine the recent budget deficit and proposal to raise taxes--with his preferred anti-growth commissioners.

Sveinn Storm, paving his integrity one sign at a time.

Monday, October 25, 2010

Above the Law?

If you read last week's Bay Times you know that Dr. Henry Sears is one of the single biggest donors to the campaign of Neal Jackson, the county commissioner candidate who has argued that reporters should be allowed to legally trade kiddie porn on the internet if they say it's for a story they're writing. For a guy who claims to have high ethical standards...why wouldn't he refuse to put his name on that? Is this the moral compass we want leading our county?

I guess we shouldn't be surprised then that Jackson, a liberal D.C. lawyer, has other supporters that also think they're above the law. As the self proclaimed "environmental candidate" we suppose that he means he favors enforcement of environmental laws only as they impact people who are not his friends and supporters??? We would sure like to hear his outrage about what follows...

It's a widely repeated rumor that a local DNR officer was ready to bring the hammer down on Dr Sears' LLC for cutting down a large amount of timber without a permit a few years back - something that everyone must do to assure environmental protections.

As the story was related to us, the word was passed down from on high that Sears wasn't to be touched. The reason? Sears owns large amounts of land in the county and was in the process of negotiating a Rural Legacy easement AFTER he had developed 32 lots on his property and subsequently collected a cool 9.9 million of taxpayer dollars for "preserving" the land he had just developed and logged.

But if that gets you angry, just wait till you hear about his latest escapade.

Sears happens to have a prescriptive right of way or some nebulous legal right across a portion of land belonging to his neighbor. In any event there is land that Dr. Sears does not own, but uses as access to property he does own across the narrow existing road that crossed a large wetland and stream. Recently, the owner of the wetland noticed a huge amount of concrete, old building parts, and farm equipment debris dumped off the edge of the road and well into the wetland and covered with dirt - all left un-stabilized. And just before the huge rain storm we had last month that washed tons of this un-stabilized dirt and trash downstream.

Now we don't have MDE's records yet, but dumping trash into a wetland, covering it with dirt left un-stabilized, and greatly widening an old road as shown in these pictures - all without the actual owner (who likely would have had to sign any permit) knowing about it sure seems
like this was done without permits.

For those who don't know, you need a permit to fill-in a non-tidal wetland, something Sears obviously didn't have since the owner of the wetland, would have had to sign off on any such permit and was completely unaware of the pollution of the wetland until he came across it in person.

Filling in a non-tidal wetland without a permit is a serious crime. Large fines and jailtime for willful and intentional violation are not uncommon. But nothing has happened yet.

That the neighbor confronted Dr. Sears and tried to stop the dumping on his land, and was told to move his tractor blocking access or Dr. Sears would bulldoze it, and that the neighbor contacted ESLC who holds the conservation easement on the land for help and other than a site visit, nothing has happened ...only goes to prove the point that some people apparently don't have to follow the rules everyone else does.

Where is Neal Jackson's outrage over this environmental disaster? With Mr Jackson's background and history, isn't it a legitimate concern that as County Commissioner, he will continue to help his friends and supporters remain above the law...do whatever they want
with reckless abandon?

No one should be able to buy immunity from the law. Here at the Torch we certainly think it looks like Neal Jackson and his supporters disagree. We hope they will clear the air on this issue because on something like this silence can only be interpreted as acceptance.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Ice Cream Man, Heal Thyself

We here at the Torch, along with our readers, are enjoying a hearty laugh at Sveinn Storm's latest spoon banging tantrum.

Storm chastises the so called "developer cartel" candidates for lack of a moral compass.

Yes you read that right. This so-called envrionmental activist who violated EPA rules and proceededwith renovations without town approval had the temerity to lecture others on morality.

We wonder if Storm ever considered the moral compass of his compatriot and neighbor Dan cough-Sentinel Whispers-cough Worth, who impersonated an elected official.

Looks like the only thing this environmentalist recyles are worn out, clichéd arguments.

PS

We're still tracking down evidence of Storm allegedly pumping sewage out of his flooded ice cream shop into Annapolis Harbor during the rain storms last month.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Neal Jackson: Child Porn Enabler?

For those who didn't know, Neal Jackson, Democrat candidate for County Commissioner At-Large, used to be a lawyer. A big-shot, D.C. trial lawyer to be specific.

It's easy to understand why people might not know. Jackson doesn't talk about it much, and certainly hasn't provided any details as to any of his cases as a lawyer.

Now we know why.

Back in 1999 Neal Jackson, along with some of his fellow D.C. trial lawyer buddies, signed on in defense of convicted child pornography distributor Lawrence Matthews.

Jackson may think it's perfectly fine for someone to collect and distribute kiddie porn without punishment, but is that really the kind of thinking that Queen Anne's County wants from one of its commissioners?

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Storm's a Brewing?

Courtesy of an anonymous tip the QAC Torch has discovered that everyone's favorite political gadfly, Sveinn Storm got it into his head to do some renovation work on a house he owns in Centreville.

210 S Commerce Street 2

While it's nice that he's cleaning up such an eyesore on one of the main roads in Centreville, he should probably make the next person he attacks on Pave Our County himself.

First, he began this work before the town had granted him permission to do so. As you can see near the bottom of one of the pages of pictures, they were sent on September 15.

210 S Commerce Street 1

However, a quick call to the Centreville town office revealed that Mr. Storm had not yet received a permit for any of those renovations - as of September 22 he still hadn't received a permit since it was still awaiting final signatures.

Second, the town office says the permit indicates that Storm plans to do the work himself. That's another big no-no. Back on May 6th the EPA issued a ruling revising the regulations for renovations on buildings built before 1978.

That ruling specifically prohibits anyone from doing renovation work, interior or exterior, on a house built before 1978 unless they are specially certified for it by the EPA.

The house in question? Built in 1918 - but there's no record on the EPA's website of Storm having completed the necessary certifications. Illegally doing renovation work without certification is a serious offense, one punishable by a civil fine of up to $25,000 and a criminal fine of up to $25,000 and up to a year in prison.

If you're interested in notifying the EPA of these violations, you can use their online complaint/tip form, located here to submit info on Mr. Storm and his flagrant violations of the law.

Now personally, we here at the Torch might not care for these sort of regulations, but if Storm plans to attack others for their law violations he ought to look to his own house first, both figuratively and literally.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

What is at Stake

Although the quote below deals with a national issue it is relevant to the stakes in the Queen Anne’s commissioner’s race.



But we’re still in this wrestling match with John Boehner and Mitch McConnell about the last 2 to 3 percent, where ...we’d be giving them on average $100,000 for people making $1 million or more.

--Barack Obama on extending Bush tax cuts to Americans in upper income brackets.


NO Mr. President “we” meaning the government wouldn’t be giving those people anything.

Obama crystallized the central economic fallacy in progressive rhetoric. A tax cut isn’t a handout to the wealthy. A tax cut is the government prohibiting itself from taking more from what these people already earned. It wasn’t the government’s money to give—to anyone—in the first place.

As Rick Moran noted on the difference between tax cuts and entitlements:

To not see how that concept turns the idea of freedom on its head reveals a moral blindness that makes it easy to posit that all property is subject to government approval and control. It justifies eminent domain and host of other egregious threats to human liberty that used to be a concern of liberals but is now seen as an impediment to government management of most every facet of people’s lives.

The anti-growth/anti-property rights crowd in Queen Anne’s County has turned the idea of property rights on it’s head and seeks—and has sought—to make our property rights subject to government approval.

If the words liberty and property rights do indeed mean something to you, then choice today and in November couldn’t be clearer.

Monday, September 13, 2010

A Weak Storm

Evil puppet master of the quote developer cartel unquote Mareen Waterman refutes serial straw man killer Sveinn Storm's lies and distortions.


Water Men Lte

The Two Franks

I'm sure before they head into the voting booth tomorrow, Republican primary voters would like to know that alleged Republican Frank Frohn gave Democratic soon to be ex-congressman Frank Kratovil $1,250.




















Why is a local Republican candidate who bills himself as a "fiscal conservative" supporting a Democratic incumbant voted with Obama and Nancy Pelosi 85% of the time and her agenda of bank bailouts, cap and trade, and the stimulus.

Do As They Say Not As They Do

From a 2005 Washington Post piece on anti-growth money man and former Freddie Mac fraudster Leland Brendsel and his wife losing their lease on the state's historic Wye Hall property.


Hershey [former DNR official] said that he gave the Brendsels until the end of the year to harvest crops that they had allowed a local farmer to plant on the land. The parcel then will be put up for bid, and Brendsel can try to lease it again. If he is outbid, he may have to remove some of the landscaping.

Hershey had also been reviewing whether the Brendsels violated the terms of their lease by making cosmetic changes to the ecologically sensitive property.

The irony, is as they say, delicious.

Here we have a big donors to the statist candidates who would have government dictate what private property owners may do with their land, doing whatever they please on land that does not even belong to them.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

The Mansfield Documents

Rob Mansfield responded to the charges made by serial strawman killer Sveinn Storm. Mansfield says the record will prove him correct. It does. See for yourself.


Mans Field Court Docs

When most would seek to hide their past, Rob was honest and open with voters about it.

The same can't be said for the hacks who are attacking him through anonymous blogs with half truths and slander.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Why Sentinels Whisper Anonymously

A funny thing happened while dumpster diving in the archives of Sentinel Whispers, the anti-growth/anti-property rights blog run by the anonymous “GateKeeper.”

A security login window popped up on my screen with asking for the login and password for the cgc.centreville-md.net server.



















Of course, that server is the home page for Citizens for Greater Centreville, run by Dan Worth. A quick look at Dan Worth’s Facebook page shows that his email address is dan.worth@cgc.centreville-md.net.

























Citizens for Greater Centreville, also appears to be a conduit organization for contributions to Jay Falstad’s employer the Queen Anne’s Conservation Fund. The CGC membership application form directs applicants to make checks to QACA.

Also, Dan Worth just happens to be next door neighbor to serial straw man killer Sveinn Storm.

Given the cgc.centreville-md.net login popup window and Worth’s email extension it’s not a stretch to say Dan Worth is the mysterious “Gatekeeper.”

Why would Worth want to act anonymously? Perhaps it is because in 2006 Worth resigned from the Centreville Planning Commission after sending emails impersonating then Town Council President Donna Turner’s name.

According to a Dec. 31 Maryland State Police investigation report, Worth set up an e-mail account with Verizon using Turner’s name. He sent an e-mail using the address, donna.smith.turner @verizon.net, to two other people, according to the report.

Turner said she does not have an e-mail address.

The incident allegedly occurred Sept. 21 and a police report was filed Dec. 3. Turner said she was given a copy of the e-mail.

On Sept. 21, an e-mail allegedly from Turner was sent to Sveinn Storm and Larry Mort that read: “I can’t believe that you guys are spreading lies that I am somehow going to resign. I do not need this kind of pressure. My grandmother died less than
two months ago and now my grandfather is in poor health. I plan on continuing my term and doing all that I can to make sure that Dan Worth does not get elected.” It was signed Donna S. Turner President, Centreville Town Council.

Mort’s wife, Jodi, replied to the e-mail from the Turner account (allegedly set up by Worth) on Sept. 22. Copies of Jodi Mort’s reply were sent to Worth, Storm, and Centreville Town Council Vice President Mary T. McCarthy. McCarthy sent copies of the e-mails to Town Manager Royden N. Powell III with a message that read, “Just received this today and thought you should be aware of this.” The postscript said, “(p.s. my opinion, off the record: she should have kept dan out of it- he didn’t start it)….”

During a phone interview by Maryland State Police on Dec. 19, Worth said the e-mail was a joke. According to the police report, Worth was asked if he intended to make Turner “look bad and to drag her name through the mud, ‘He said ‘Yea, I guess.’


Classy.

Worth and his wife are also avid supporters of noted birther, U.S. Senate candidate, and current county commissioner, Eric Wargotz.

An ally of QACA, Wargotz introduced county ordinance 08-25, legislation that is an affront to property rights and would have removed the intrinsic value in their land that farmers use to borrow against in order to finance their operations. It should be noted QACA offered a “report” with cooked statistics to justify 08-25

Worth’s wife Temple, is treasurer of Wargotz’s campaign committee, which according to FEC filings has paid the couple $4,600 for consulting and computer services. No wonder they’re such big Wargotz fans.

Trolling through Wargotz’s contribution receipts reveals large donations from anti-growth money men Alan Griffith and Leland Brendsel, and anti-growth commisoner candidate Bob Simmons.

Understand Property Rights in 3 and a Half Minutes

The anti-growthers here in Queen Anne's County would do quite well to take a few minutes and watch this video explaining why we have property rights and why it matters that they are protected.





Please feel free to share this with your friends, it's an important message that seems to be understood far too poorly in Queen Anne's County, at least by some.

Falstad's Intellectually Dishonest Mailer

Jay Falstad’s latest mailer from the Republican Environmental Alliance—paid for by Falstad’s mortgage holder, Alan Griffith and Freddie Mac fraudster Leland Brendsel—urges voters in the September 14th Republican primary to “vote for 3 Conservative Republicans” and features an image of Teddy Roosevelt.























Apparently Jay is as unfamiliar with history as he is with state campaign finance and ethics laws.
Teddy Roosevelt is no conservative. In fact he is widely regarded as progressive. Roosevelt was avid devotee of Hebert Croly one of the four horsemen of American progressivism. TR was a statist through and through.

In his New Nationalism speech Roosevelt said:



We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used. It is not even enough that it should have been gained without doing damage to the community. We should permit it to be gained only so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community. This, I know, implies a policy of a far more active governmental interference with social and economic conditions in this country than we have yet had, but I think we have got to face the fact that such an increase in governmental control is now necessary.


Roosevelt also practiced corporatist economics. From Jonah Goldberg’s indispensable book Liberal Fascism:



Since the dawn of the Progressive Era, reformers have constructed an army of straw men, conjured a maelstrom of myths, to justify blurring the lines between business and government. According to civics textbooks, Upton Sinclair and his fellow muckrakers unleashed populist rage against the cruel excesses of the meatpacking industry, and as a result Teddy Roosevelt and his fellow Progressives boldly reined in an industry run amok. The same story repeats itself for the accomplishments of other muckrakers, including the pro-Mussolini icons Ida Tarbell and Lincoln Steffens. This narrative lives on as generations of journalism students’ dream of exposing corporate malfeasance and prompting government-imposed “reform.”

The problem is that it’s totally untrue, a fact Sinclair freely acknowledged.“The Federal inspection of meat was, historically, established at the packers’ request,” Sinclair wrote in 1906. “It is maintained and paid for by the people of the United States for the benefit of the packers.” The historian Gabriel Kolko concurs: “The reality of the matter, of course, is that the big packers were warm friends of regulation, especially when it primarily affected their innumerable small competitors.” A spokesman for “Big Meat” (as we might call it today) told Congress, “We are now and have always been in favor of the extension of the inspection, also to the adoption of the sanitary regulations that will insure the very best possible conditions.” The meatpacking conglomerates knew that federal inspection would become a marketing tool for their products and, eventually, a minimum standard. Small firms and butchers who’d earned the trust of consumers would be forced to endure onerous compliance costs, while large firms not only could absorb the costs more easily but would be able to claim their products were superior to uncertified meats.



If Roosevelt is a conservative then the word has lost all meaning.



Interestingly enough Falstad’s mailer goes a long way in proving BQA correct that the anti-growth crowd’s candidates are indeed wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Falstad is free to invoke Roosevelt in his appeal, but he should at least be intellectually honest with voters and properly identify Roosevelt as a progressive.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Paving His Own Integrity

Sveinn Storm of Pave Our County blog is paving over his own integrity. In his latest post they accuse Diana Waterman of “abusing her position” on the Queen Anne’s County Republican Central Committee by campaigning for county commissioner candidate Robert Mansfield on Saturday September 4th in Symphony Village.


The only problem with Storm’s clever little conceit is that Waterman wasn’t campaigning for Robert Mansfield, and wasn’t acting in her capacity as vice chair of the QAC GOP Central Committee. Furthermore, contrary to his claim, there is no provision in the Queen Anne's County Republican Central Committee bylaws, which proscribes a member for campaigning as a private citizen for a certain candidate.

In fact, Waterman organized the door knocking effort on behalf of Queen Anne’s for Ehrlich, and the Andy Harris campaign. Furthermore, she wasn’t “campaigning for Mansfield.” As the email alert she sent out clearly contains the addresses of anti-growth candidates David Dunmeyer—Mansfield’s opponent—and Frank Frohn in the distribution list.

Diana also specifically states “Candidates bring your literature (and your volunteers) and we’ll hand it out too.”

The invitation was open to ALL Republican candidates.

























If Dunmeyer and Frohn don’t want to support the effort to help Bob Ehrlich oust Martin O’Malley—the guy who stripped Queen Anne’s County of it’s road maintenance funds and enacted the largest tax increase in state history—that is their right. However, I’m sure most Queen Anne’s Republicans won’t see the virtue in that.

Given the utter lack of credibility to Storm’s argument, his notion that Waterman “gave every appearance of hiding from our camera” doesn’t hold water.


Pave Our County? Really Svienn? Seriously, that’s the worst straw man argument this side of an O’Malley campaign speech.

Following the Money: The Men Behind the Curtain

During the last week voters in Queen Anne's County received two mailers of note. One came from David Dunmyer, another from Frank Frohn.

Now what's interesting is what happens when you look at them next to each other.



Now maybe the fact that their fliers look nearly identical is simple coincidence, but in politics there's usually more than meets the eye. And it certainly looks that way here.

If you take a look at their campaign finance reports, the same names and same amounts show up on both.
Take things a little bit deeper, and you'll see that Jay's PAC is funded by:
With fliers and donations this similar, it's hard not to think that both of these candidates have some money men pulling the strings for them.

Following the Money: Who Owns Jay Falstad?

According to the Queen Anne’s Conservation Association’s 2008 990 return, Alan Griffith is listed as a board member.

Alan Griffith is a former executive vice president of the Bank of New York and head of BONY’s international banking sector. Griffith was named in a federal lawsuit involving bank executives and Russian mobsters laundering billions of dollars through BONY accounts.

Griffith and his wife are generous donors to candidates and web of PACs, which fund the anti-growth crowd, as well as to county commissioner and U.S. Senate candidate Eric Wargotz.

It also appears that Griffith is in the mortgage business. Griffith owns QACA lobbyist/PACman Jay Falstad’s mortgage. Also, Griffith has given $3,000 to Falstad’s Republican Environmental Alliance PAC—including the most recent contribution of $1,000 on August 26.

So the question now is: Who else owns Jay Falstad?

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Jay Falstad: Too Busy Attacking Property Rights to Obey the Law

Among the members of the anti-growth movement, Jay Falstad's voice has been one of the loudest and one of the ones most often heard.

Jay happens to be the paid lobbyist for Queen Anne's Conservation Association, a key part of the web of front groups organized and maintained by the I've Got Mine crowd.

Now, overall, I think reasonably well of Jay. Unlike most of the others anti-growthers, he honestly seems to believe what he says. That makes it both better, because he's honest, and worse, because he truly doesn't care about property rights. But as much as I disagree with him, I respect him.

But that doesn't excuse him for flouting state ethics law.

Back in 2007, Jay was a lobbyist registered with the state of Maryland. As such, he was obliged to adhere to the State Ethics Code.

At the same time, Jay was also the chairman of the Republican Environmental Alliance PAC, a group he started in 2006 and still chairs today.

That's where the problem starts. Two problems actually.

First, there are Jay's actions as chairman of the PAC. On two separate occasions he made transfers of funds from the PAC to political candidates, once to a state senator and once to a delegate.

This is a very big deal. Section 15-714 of the Maryland Code clearly states:

(d) Restrictions on activities. --

(1) A regulated lobbyist who is subject to this section or a person acting on behalf of the regulated lobbyist may not, for the benefit of the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, or Comptroller, or a member of the General Assembly, or a candidate for election to the office of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Comptroller, or member of the General Assembly, engage in the following activities:

(i) soliciting or transmitting a political contribution from any person, including a political committee;

A lobbyist transmitting funds from a PAC to the campaign of a state senator or delegate, which is what Jay did, is unquestionably a violation of state ethics law.

That's the first problem. Here's the second.

Going back to the ethics code, section 15-714(d)(ii) and (iii) state that lobbyists are also prohibited from:
(ii) serving on a fund-raising committee or a political committee;
(iii) acting as a treasurer for a candidate or official or as treasurer or chairman of a political committee;
If one checks the definitions listed in section 15-714, it states that "political committee" is defined by section 1-101 of the Election Law Article. And section 1-101 has this to say about PACs:

(ff) Political Action Committee. - "Political action committee" means a political committee that is not:
(1) a political party;
(2) a central committee;
(3) a slate;
(4) a political committee organized and operated solely to support or oppose a single candidate; or
(5) a political committee organized and operated solely to support or oppose a ballot issue.
Since a PAC is clearly a political committee in the eyes of the code, it certainly looks like Jay violated ethics law on this count as well.

On two counts then Jay has violated state ethics law. That should make everyone in QAC suspicious of his work, as a lobbyist for QACA, as chairman of the Republican Environmental Alliance PAC, and as a player in local politics in general.

In particular we ought to be wary when it comes to the current election. According to Frank Frohn supporter Paula Kougores, Jay has raised $3000 for Frohn's campaign.


With those kind of ethics law violations, it makes one wonder if that was all on the up and up.

Following the Money

Lester Freamon the wily detective from HBO’s The Wire once said, “you follow drugs you get drug addicts and drug dealers. But you start to follow the money... and you don't know where the fuck is going to take you.”

Following the money for the anti-growth crowd in Queen Anne’s takes you to some interesting places.

Money doesn’t travel on it’s own. People who have it need to give it to the people and organizations that will use it. The first place to look for the anti-growth crowd is the Queen Anne’s Conservation Association. QACA is an IRS registered 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. You can view QACA’s IRS 990 returns for 2005, 2006, and 2008 the latest available on Guidestar. QACA also has a related 501(c)3 the Queen Anne’s Conservation Fund, which is “operated for the exclusive benefit of the Queen Anne’s Conservation Association Inc.” Form 990s available for 2006 and 2008.

The returns tell us that QACA raised and spent a lot of money on lobbying, consulting and legal fees to stop the Four Seasons on Kent Island. While QACA is not required to disclose the identity of their donors, the names on the board of directors and listed addresses provide interesting leads.

Richard Altman is listed as QACA’s “Senior Planning Consultant” and is a registered lobbyist for QACA. Altman is also the former chairman of the Citizen’s Alliance to Save Our County political action committee. QACA board member James Campbell is the former treasurer of CATSOC and anti-growth commissioner candidate Bob Simmons is another former CATSOC chairman.
Altman’s wife is vice president of QACA.

QACA’s available 990s show that QACA paid Altman’s firm RSA Associates over $248,000 over those years. Only on the 2008 filing does QACA disclose the payments to Altman’s firm under “payments to “interested persons.” The disclosure lists the payments as providing “executive management services to QACA.” This is curious as Altman is an architect and his firm specializes in construction design rather than “executive management services.”

The 2800 Bennett Point Rd. address on the Queen Anne’s Conservation Fund’s 990s is the same address as Altman’s RSA Associates.

It is highly suspicious that the firm of QACA’s “senior planning consultant” and paid lobbyist just happens to be the same address for the 501(c)3 “charitable and educational” entity charged with benefiting QACA.

Is QACA merely Altman Inc.?

Just Who Are the Anti-Growthers

As we've noted, there is an anti-growth movement in this county.

It's not an overstatement, it's a simple fact. In spite of their claims of supporting what they term smart or sensible growth, the reality is that this crowd is opposed to any and all growth occurring within Queen Anne's County.

Don't believe it? Ask any growth opponent to name one project they supported. Odds are they won't be able to. They have opposed all proposed projects located outside the growth area because that's not smart growth, and they simultaneously have opposed all projects inside the growth areas because that would make things too dense.

They hold no concern for the property rights of the people of Queen Anne's County and they consistently play by one set of rules yet hold their opponents to another. They'll say whatever they need to in order to stop their opponents and they'll spend however much money it takes to enforce their agenda - all the while doing just as bad and worse as what they condemn their opponents for. But no more!

Queen Anne's County has suffered long enough under this elite Got-Mine Gentry of trial lawyers, trust funders, bankers, lobbyists, egomaniacs, and others who have gotten their piece of the Eastern Shore dream and are ready to do whatever it takes to make sure the little people don't spoil their fun.

But no more! It's time to let Lady Liberty's torch shine brightly and take back our county and take back our property rights so that all can have the opportunity to live here in Queen Anne's County, not just the old and well-off.

Be sure to check back for more info on the men and women who think it's their place to steal your property rights and your children's future in this county.

Mission Statement

Hello, and thanks for taking the time to come and check out the site. We wanted to take the time to let you know just what we believe and why we're writing. So here's our mission statement:

The Queen Anne's Torch exists to spread light on the uncomfortable truths the anti-growth movement in Queen Anne's County would rather you not know and counter the darkness and deception they are working hard to spread in support of their anti-property rights, anti-freedom agenda.

We hold a simple philosophy here. People have rights, not because government gave them to us, but because we were naturally and inherently born with them. Key among these rights are property rights, and as history has shown, where property rights are not respected, other liberties are soon to follow.