O Chairman! My Chairman!
PCFRG Treasurer Thomas Hylton and its former Chairman Dennis Wausnock surfing the web together in happier days.
POTTSTOWN, PA – Here’s a riddle for you.
How can an effective registered political action committee run without a chairman?
It can’t.
In Pennsylvania, a PAC must have a treasurer and a chairperson. Unless both of these positions are filled, a PAC is prohibited from receiving contributions or making expenditures (Pennsylvania Statute 25 § 3242(a)).
Hello Pottstown Mercury…we have a news story for you (and let’s see if you bother to report on it). You know all of those advertising dollars you’re been receiving from Tom Hylton and his Pottstown Citizen for Responsible Government PAC (something in the neighborhood of $20,000+)? Sorry Nancy dear…you’ll have to fork over all that money, since it came from an illegal PAC.
Thomas Hylton, full time political hack and part time Pottstown School Board member, is not operating his personal Political Action Committee according to the laws of Pennsylvania, and is thus operating an illegal PAC, which prohibits him from accepting or expending money.
Hylton’s newly revised political action committee Web site (Pottstown Citizen for Responsible Government) has been scrubbed of all things Dennis Wausnock…its Chairman.
You don’t believe us? Here’s what the site looked like two weeks ago. And here’s what it looks like today.
Why do you think a PAC would expel its Chairman so close to next month’s primary elections? Hmmm. Would it maybe have something to do with Dennis Wausnock’s re-election efforts? Hmmm. Maybe someone should wake Dennis up during tonight’s school board meeting and ask him what the deal is. Or better yet…ask BOTH Dennis and Tom what the deal is. That’s what public meetings are for! (hint hint Evan)
And speaking of the Pottstown School District…why is Tom Hylton demanding every e-mail, internal memo and PowerPoint presentation for the period between January 1, 2011 and April 8, 2011?
SavePottstown!! has learned that Hylton fired off two Right to Know requests to school district personnel last Friday hoping to collect data on the charter school issue he was blindsided by during March 30’s school board meeting.
Here’s specifically the information Hylton requested:
1. All correspondence, including email correspondence, between any member of the Executive Team (Reed Lindley, Linda Adams, Jeffrey Sparagana) and any operator, representative, or person affiliated with a charter school operating in Pennsylvania.
2. All correspondence, including email correspondence, between any member of the Executive Team (Reed Lindley, Linda Adams, Jeffrey Sparagana) and any Pennsylvania legislator or federal legislator, including members of the legislator’s staff.
3. Any internal correspondence, including memos and emails, regarding charter schools, between any of the following persons: Reed Lindley, Linda Adams, Jeffrey Sparagana, Pam Bateson, Terri Lampe, and John Armato.
4. Any handouts or Power Point presentations given to legislators related to the Pottstown School District.
Isn’t it nice that Tom Hylton is making RTK request demands of the school district, but has yet to respond to the numerous RTK requests made to him regarding the expenditures of his Trees, Inc. non-profit?
Why does Tom Hylton think he’s above the law?
C’mon Tom…respond to those RTK requests before the lawyers shake you down!
Hey, no fair asking a riddle and then answering it. I was all set to come up with multiple answers for that question BUT seeing how rules are rules – no need to find a loophole or attempt to fly above the clouds.
This is a most interesting development, indeed!
One would have to ask what is the purpose of such a decision and quick action, so close to the primary election. Could this be evidence of following some rule or law? Is there a rule or law that suggests active candidates for election can not hold the post of treasurer or chairperson in a PAC?
Wait, if that were true then Mr. Hylton would’ve violated that one in the last election. I guess, at this point, that would be a minor technicality.
Better watch those paid ads and endorsements – wouldn’t want anyone to suggest PCFRG’s motives aren’t living up to the public service they claim to provide.
So, fair question, will the Mercury be continuing to accept paid ads and provide links online to the 32 page supplement? It proudly boasts the PAC logo and would seem to advance a certain perspective BUT if the PAC isn’t actually properly organized and paid the fee doesn’t that violate the law?
Does that, then, open the floor to discuss the fact that these commentaries might be written for person gain under the guise of public service? Establishing an organization or making mention of a title suggests a certain command of knowledge or support – it is more than personal opinion (which it is claimed to be if you read the fine print). Most people offer personal opinions without benefit of a logo – this has been an effort to create support by oversaturation, if you ask me.
Is it what PACs do – yes. Is it good marketing – maybe. Is this individual above the law – no. I hope there is no attempt to operate outside the established laws governing PACs. Any attempt to participate in illegal behavior would be conduct unbecoming a school director, wouldn’t it?
Maybe someone can riddle me this – what’s the deal with all the entitlement to emails and interoffice information?
Maybe it didn’t concern you, Mr. Hylton? You feel so entitled to all this information and never bothered to answer other people’s questions/RTK requests…
Where’s your transparency, now? What happened to Mr. Wausnock on PCFRG’s website, Mr. Editor/treasurer?
quite simple on the RTK—Hylton is connected to the gentleman trying to bring the private charter school to Pottstown and Hylton is afraid that the district will nix his chance to make some big money as an investor in his buddy’s private charter school. Hylton is concerned that the district is conspiring behind his back to bring in its own charter schools and he can’t let that happen and ruin his retirement funds. Therefore he has to see all the e-mails to be sure that nothing is transpiring in the district to bring in district charter schools solely regulated by the district and not a profit-making private investor. Folks, you know how it goes, Hylton is a devious character and those that are devious and can’t be trusted are always accusing others as they are quite paranoid of others doing to them as they are doing to others. BY the way, the person who wrote the letter to Dr. Lindley wishing to open a charter school in town made a comment quite recently in Norristown: ‘Charter Schools will open in Norristown and Pottstown whether they like it or not’. This comment came to me from a very reliable source. Remember this character wanting to bring a private charter school is Hylton’s good buddy. We need to unite in this community to throw Hylton off the school board. He does not value public education and has done nothing on the board but forward his own private agenda and his own pocketbook. Speaking of his pocketbook, don’t forget the expensive teacher health plan benefits, thanks to his retired wife, were funded in part this year by the taxpayers of Pottstown. That is really good to remember when some of us taxpayers have no health plans at all.