Dayton Daily News misses the “relative” slush-fund
The Dayton Daily News thinks that Mike Turner shouldn’t hire his wife’s firm, TurnerEffect, to do his marketing. Chump-change claim.
If they want to really see how the money flows- just compare his contributors lists- to the client list of his wife’s firm. Jackpot.
It’s no secret in the halls of Kettering Health Network that Turner Effect should get a shot at bidding every project. As the owner of a “competitor” – a client of mine was told to get a second quote from Turner before using my firm- the difference in price? Four times more! It’s easy to grow from a solo practitioner to 15+ when your husband’s contributors are willing to pad their bills as a way to get around campaign finance rules.
Our view: Campaign money best not paid to relatives
Congressman Mike Turner, R-Centerville, and his wife Lori Turner found themselves on a list they’d just as soon not be on last week.A watchdog organization in Washington called CREW (for Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington) released a list of 96 members of the U.S. House of Representatives who have used campaign donations to “financially benefit their family members.”
Rep. Turner insists he did no such thing. He did turn to his wife’s very real marketing firm to do small amounts of campaign-related work. Having done that, he had no choice but to pay (at the standard rate), because he can’t accept a contribution from a corporation.
The amount — $51,000 paid over three campaign cycles — he says is piddling, adding up to less than one percent of the business the firm did during that period.
I shouldn’t expect much from the Dayton Daily News in doing any true investigative reporting- it took them over 2 years to acknowledge that Turner was wrong when he had me arrested and persecuted for my protest of his illegal secret meetings.
Very good point, David, and once again, good for you for having the courage to stick your neck out, speak your mind and point out the obvious which just about everyone else is too afraid to recognize, preferring instead to just “go along” with the way things are.
There’s no doubt in my mind that my outspoken respect for your honesty has cost me more than a few photography assignments here in Dayton, but like you, it’s more important for me to be recognized as an individual with integrity versus being just another in a long line of schmucks going through life playing the game and sacrificing any sense of honor for the all-mighty dollar.
Over the last four years, since starting my business, I’ve learned the hard way to just simply stay clear of doing just about any local advertising and being involved with local networking groups, especially amongst groups who just can’t get past provincial gossip and game-playing. Then again, my situation is a bit unique as compared to most small business owners here in the Dayton area.
It’s tough to stay positive when it’s constantly thrown in your face everyday, but positive we must remain. One of the many blessings of today’s internet technology and e-commerce is that now the independent professional and entrepreneur can market him or herself and his or her products and services far beyond local boundaries, and for that matter, beyond the grasp of local power networks, whether they be the liberal elites amongst the local artsy-fartsy set or the harumph-harumph gangs at the private country clubs.
Go around them, above them and move past them. Most important of all, keep staying true to yourself.
Lori, Lori, Lori – Yes I studied Turner Marketing during my run and if you could go back in time (Her original web site is down now) or look at the client list they were heavily skewed to the firms that Raj Soin had connections. Rajesk K. Soin the wealthy indian that came to America and lost his suitcase, while buying a pack of cigarettes, used his lack of IRS tax returns to take advantage of the minority set aside program to become a large federal contractor. He rolled his 8a contracts to persons he controlled as he graduated from the program, so more 8a money went to foreign nationals rather than the minorities that had traditionally been disadvantaged in America.
Turner was Raj’s council at MTC and it would be interesting to FOIA his timesheet during the campaign to see if he worked on MTC business or campaigning while receiving his MTC salary. Lori’s clients seemed to be connected to the WPAFB contractor game with CTC (RAJ company) being a purveyor of her services. What better way to finance a campaign than through contracts that you can provide very little service, but charge a great price.
PS. I suspect Turner is selling his house in Stone Lake? I wonder if he and Lori are moving to DC?
I’ve long suspected that was the case, but wasn’t ever able to get hold of a client list for Mrs. Turner’s business. Any way I could get a copy of that list? I also think it’s interesting that Turner Effect is only worth what her husband’s campaign has pumped into it.
Pretty impressive work there, Dave, AND Greg.
The funny thing is that Dayton does have an independent print news source, but they don’t do much solid investigative work. They did that piece on Santa Clara last week, but never really followed up on the loose ends in that story.
Pardon my ignorance… What is the name of Dayton’s independent print news source?
Oh, I was thinking of City Paper, which is like those indy newspapers, weeklys, one finds in other citys. The better ones, like the Chicago Reader, usually have a sort of muckraking/investigative angle, having grown out of the New Journalism of the 1960s.
FWIW, most of the old Turner Marketing website is still available here:
http://web.archive.org/web/20040613123637/tmarketinc.com/index.html
There are some selected clients featured, but I couldn’t find a comprehensive list of clients on the site.