Saturday, November 3, 2007

Hit Piece against Patterson, last weekend before election

Big weekend Hit Piece Mailing attacking Mayoral Candidate Elizabeth Patterson from a newly formed PAC called “Benicia Local Government Accountability Coalition” (NONE of the contributors are from Benicia) (all have ties to SEENO).

Info from Late Contributions Report-filed 10/31/07-city clerk's office.

The four contributors are:


  1. Bay Area Drainage- Moraga- They have contributed $6 thousand.
  2. Black Diamond Electric-Pittsburg- $6 thousand.
  3. George Shimboff ( owner Shimboff consulting)-Vacavile- $5 thousand.
  4. Legacy Renovations-Antioch- $5 thousand.
These four have contributed $22 thousand to the PAC “Benicia Local Government Accountability Coalition”.

RED ALERT! All of them (except Shimboff) also contributed $5 thousand each just last year, Oct. 2006, to the Pittsburg City Council candidacy of Salvatore Evola, who is the V.P. of Discovery Builders and the cousin of the company's President, Albert Seeno lll.

http://www.bayareadrainage.com/index.htm
Bay Area Drainage: drainage projects on construction sites, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties.

http://www.califdir.com/black-diam-pittsburg-biz224105.htm
Black Diamond Electric - Pittsburg. (appears to be a small independent contractor, no website) General contracting, building & home construction.

George Shimboff: a worker for city of Fairfield, Water Distribution Division (2006 http://www.ci.fairfield.ca.us/files/pwWQ07.pdf (he is 4th from left, plaid shirt). He applied for a permit (2003) to remove the habitat of an endangered species for some small land development project in Vacaville. http://www.fws.gov/policy/library/03-20790.pdf

Legacy-Renovations, Antioch. (owner David Rutledge). Residential & commercial construction. http://www.legacy-renovations.com/Home.htm

So they are all Contra Costa/ Solano County people/businesses in the construction trade. At least 3 of the 4 contributed large sums just last year to the Pittsburg City Council candidacy of Sal Evola, cousin of Seeno lll, and V.P. of Discovery Builders. (Have they worked on some of Seeno's development projectsin the past? or are they hoping to win favorable subcontracts from him through these political contributions?).

But why do these outsiders want to interfere in our election? And why do they want to attack Elizabeth? Do they even know Bill Whitney?

Do you suppose it has anything to do with Seeno's 527 acre Business Park that he's trying to develop on the edge of town (read all about that project at http://www.beniciafirst.org ), which does not comply with the requirements of the General Plan? This past August, Whitney flip-flopped on his earlier vote, and voted to give Seeno's Draft EIR a green light, while Patterson maintained her refusal to approve the DEIR until they come back with a project that comports with the General Plan.

Who do you think Seeno favors for Mayor? Do you wonder if this money they're donating is really from their own pockets?


The Manager for the PAC is:

Michelle M. Smira
MMS Strategies
1630 Q Street Sacramento CA 95811
Office 916.443.1353 Fax 916.563.8060
michelle@mmsstrategies.com


Here are some questions Benicians would like to learn from Ms. Smira, BEFORE the election (give her a call):

  • Who are the members of the "Coalition"?
  • Who initially contacted and hired you?
  • What are you being paid for your services?
  • Who solicited the money from the four outside companies that contributed and what were they told about how their contributions were to be spent?
  • Who directed, designed and approved the "hit" pieces?
  • What involvement does anyone associated with the Whitney campaign have with the coalition?
  • What are your ethics and personal values when it comes to local politics?

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