Cocktails & Popcorn: Will The U.S. Treasury Take Over The FEC?

"Only in Hamtramck.", said the FEC

The FEC was not structured as a weight based voting agency was so they both sides could agree to stealin'.

There is no swing vote.

There is no challenge to the vote because it is an administrative process which means they can pick and choose who gets due process.

I filed for an advisory opinion on the use of a foreign national symbol in a local election.

The FEC waited until long after that election to render the response of, "the election is over and you did not phrase the question properly."

Then, it must be taken into consideration that the FEC was run by #perkinscoiesucks.

So, now you know why the FEC was structured as an authority and does absolutely nothing.

Here, I can prove the FEC is a vehicle of stealin'.

I did not even get to the cryptocurrency, child welfare or fake identities issues.

I say the U.S. Treasury is on this.

Federal Election Commission is now out of commission — that's downright scary

Republican Matthew S. Petersen announced his resignation from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) this week. Ho hum news this is not. What it means is that the government agency charged with overseeing compliance with the federal campaign finance laws has been gutted. It now lacks the ability to meaningfully function in the run-up to the 2020 presidential election.

There are two primary takeaways here. The first is that this is not unwelcome news for conservatives — such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) — who believe that government oversight of federal campaigns is bad in general. McConnell led the years-long charge to kill the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), a feat that was largely accomplished by the Supreme Court with its 2009 decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. That case overruled on First Amendment grounds the statutory bans on soft or “issue-ad” money spent by corporations and unions close to presidential primaries and general elections.

With the FEC now out of commission, there is no longer a cop on the block to enforce the remaining rules-of-the-game aimed at enhancing fair and free elections in the United States. If no cop is around to pull over speed-demon drivers, the speed limits become meaningless. Translation? It’s the Wild West in federal-campaign-land, and individual voters are the ones who will suffer for it.

The second takeaway is that, once again, Congress is to blame for this travesty.

The reason Congress is to blame has to do with the way that the FEC is structured. Congress — not the Constitution — creates federal agencies by statute. Those statutes also give agencies their job descriptions. Because Congress lacks the political will and expertise to do lawmaking across-the-board, it gives agencies the power to make laws for it. This handoff of the legislative baton occurs by statute. When agencies make laws pursuant to their statutory power, we call those laws “regulations.”

That the FEC can’t make laws anymore isn’t the problem. The problem is with enforcement. The technical job of the executive branch is to execute — or enforce — the law. The president is the ultimate federal cop-on-the-block in this regard. He enforces laws through the attorney general and his various cabinet-level appointees — “secretaries” of large federal departments. The president has the constitutional authority to appoint and, by implication, fire those folks at will. That way, they remain accountable to the electorate. If the voters don’t like what an agency is doing, they can replace the agencies’ boss, the president.

In the 1930s, Congress thought it was a good idea to create some agencies that are quasi-insulated from the president. These are colloquially known as “independent agencies.” These agencies tend to have the word “commission” in their titles (think Federal Communications Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission, and so on).

Independent agencies are headed by panels rather than single individuals. The panels are usually comprised of a statutorily-mandated number of commissioners from each side of the political aisle, that is, a set number of Democrats and a set number of Republicans. Unlike with Department heads, incoming presidents generally can’t appoint all of the commissioners at once. They instead serve five to seven-year staggered terms, so that only certain seats come up during a certain president’s term. Independent agencies also make decisions by majority vote, and the statute creating them usually requires a quorum to conduct business.

Here’s the kicker: The president cannot fire these people at will. They can only be fired “for cause” — and the statute creating the commission normally sets forth the conditions that must exist before the president can fire a commissioner.

This is precisely the model that led to the independent counsel law undergirding Kenneth W. Starr’s investigation of former President Clinton. Even though the president couldn’t fire that top law enforcement official (unlike, say a federal prosecutor or FBI agent), the Supreme Court has consistently upheld the constitutionality of statutory constraints on the president’s power to hire and fire executive branch officials that head independent agencies, including folks like Starr.

The notion behind independent agencies is, well, independence from the political process. If law enforcement officials are structurally immune from political influence, the theory goes, they will make better decisions for the overall public good. If they are instead subject to the political and ideological whims of their White House boss, they will execute their power in biased ways that could hurt the broader public.

The FEC was created by statute in 1974. It has six members — three from each political party — who are each supposed to serve a six-year term. Every two years, two seats come up for reappointment. A quorum of four is required for the FEC to act. With Petersen’s resignation, the FEC is down to three commissioners, which means it’s effectively out of business.

President Trump has shown no interest in changing that dynamic. By refusing to put more watchdogs on the campaign finance beat, the presidency has managed to shred the laws themselves.

Some might argue that this is not a big deal, because the FEC has long been notoriously feckless. It deadlocks 3-3 on purely political grounds anyway. If it enforces the laws against anyone, it targets the bit players — while the big fish swim away.

Still, the FEC managed to fine the 2008 Obama campaign $375,000 for violating laws requiring that it report certain information to the FEC. Broadly speaking, such laws are aimed at ensuring that the public is informed as to who is paying a campaign’s bill, so that voters can cast ballots accordingly.

Let’s not forget, too, the first part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s 448-page report detailing Russia’s systematic efforts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election — and his warning to Congress that those efforts are ongoing for the 2020 race. Even at its peak capacity, the FEC is hardly empowered to take on Putin’s democracy-crushing machinery. That’s Congress’s job — especially with a Putin-apologist in the White House. But Congress is not doing much on that front, either. Again, we have McConnell largely to thank for that roadblock.

If we are going to salvage a legitimate democracy for America, November 2020 is becoming increasingly urgent by the day. For now, one thing’s for sure: The FEC won’t be saving the day.


Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Happy Hamtramck City Council Election Day - August 6th, 2019 - Go Vote

August 6, 2019 is the Hamtramck City Council Primary, where three are picked to proceed to the next round.

This should be a fun election to watch, as always.

I wonder if the Board of Elections Commission is going to post the vote tallies.

Hamtramck has a very *unique* manner in which its elections are conducted.

Happy Voting!

Saad A. Almasmari


Mohammed M. Alsomiri


Nayeem Leon Choudhury


Mohammed Hassan


Justin Jessop


Carrie Beth Lasley


Anam Miah


Abu Musa


Robert A. Zwolak


Voter Registration
New residents of Hamtramck may register to vote at City Hall, 3401 Evaline, Hamtramck, MI 48212, at any Secretary of State Branch Office, at certain state agencies, or by mail. Your voter registration is permanent; however, If you move from one community to another or change your name, you must reregister to vote. State law requires that you register to vote at the address shown on your Michigan Driver’s License.

You are qualified to vote if:

You are at least 18 years of age on or before the day of the election at which you wish to vote.

You are a citizen of the United States.

Close of Registration is now 2 weeks before election day.  Anyone wishing to register to vote inside the 2 week window can do so at the City Clerk’s Office even on Election Day.

To obtain a Voter Registration Form from the Secretary of State Click HERE.

To check your voter registration or for additional voter registration information, Click HERE.

Update 2019:

In November 2018, Michigan voters overwhelmingly approved changes to Michigan Election Law.  One of these changes is the ability to vote absentee (also known as vote by mail) without a specific reason.  We encourage voters of all ages to call the City Clerk’s Office at 313-8001-5233 ext. 821 or stop by the window in City Hall and ask to be put on the “Permanent AV List”.  Voters on this list will automatically receive an Application for Absentee Ballot for each election cycle every year.  Spread the word to your constituents and e-mail contacts in town!

Elections in Hamtramck typically occur on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in August and November each year. For specific information not listed on this page, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at 313-800-5233 ext. 821.

Permanent Absentee Voter Application Request Form
The City Clerk’s Office maintains a list of voters who are interested in receiving Absentee Ballot Applications prior to every election. There are no requirements to be placed on the list.

To request being placed on the permanent list contact the Clerk’s Office at 313-800-5233 ext. 821.

Precinct Locations in Hamtramck
PCT 1 Housing Administration Building 12025 Dequindre
PCT 2 Community Center 11350 Charest
PCT 3 Community Center 11350 Charest
PCT 4 Community Center 11350 Charest
PCT 5 Senior Plaza 2620 Holbrook
PCT 6 People’s Community Center 8625 Jos Campau
PCT 7 Senior Plaza 2620 Holbrook

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Vinson v. Maceroni - Warren Has An Election Commission Situation - There Is More Than One Way To Breach The Children's Trust

Do you see the children in the trust?

This is the Seal of the City of Warren.

Contained within the seal are the arms.

Basically, you could look at it and figure out what was going on.

It was incorporated right after the Highway Act, where I like to color as literally paving the roads to the draining of resources of the inner city of Detroit.

You can also see that cities are incorporated under state law, which means they can also be dissolved, or rather, in this instance on the lower lever of extreme, held accountable as administrators of the public trust.

Very few realize the entire process of becoming an official candidate of office is through the official record of your arms, rather how ethics is measured in society through multiple attestation of the public record.

If you breach the public trust, well, that is just child abuse, because the public trust contains our most precious treasures, children, the posterity of a society.

From the 2019 City of Warren Budget:

The inscription “City of Warren, Michigan -Seal-” encompasses the circular seal. The hand holding a sheaf of wheat at the bottom represents the agricultural heritage of the community. The residential dwelling on the lower left hand side represents the residential character of the community. A factory on the right side represents commerce and industry. A hand holding a rocket on the upper left side represents national defense technology. The heads of a young man and young woman in center at the top represent the youth of the City.

Ethan Vinson

In this instance, playing word games on justifying breaching the charter itself, is worthy of being kicked off the ballot and considered child abuse.

I want to know what is going on with the Election Commission and its City Attorney coming up with his "Legal Genius" (trademark pending) analysis.

On that note, I would like to know what is going on with the Detroit Election Commission.

This is a nice transposable model for election integrity - argue it out under the tolling of election deadlines.

I can see a VR game.

Jim Maceroni

I was not allowed this luxury, provided below.

Just as people have died to vote, so have they died to run for office, so let us remain uplifted for a swift, final judicial determination.

Economy of time is important in elections, you know.

I believe we have ourselves a battle between the City Attorney, Ethan Vinson and the Judge James Maceroni because there is much more going on than meets the land development eye.

This case is going to be very cocktails & popcorn worthy because I see gerrymandering.

Judge boots 4 Warren council members off ballot, cites term limits

Mount Clemens — A Macomb County judge ruled Friday that four Warren City Council members must be removed from the August primary election ballot because they have exceeded the city’s term limits and are ineligible to run again.

Warren council candidate Connor Berdy had filed a complaint May 10 against Warren’s city clerk Sonya Buffa; the Warren City Election Commission and County Clerk Fred Miller, arguing that incumbents who exceeded 12 years of service in city office should not be permitted to run for another term.

Berdy requested that council members Scott Stevens, Steven Warner, Robert Boccomino and Council President Cecil St. Pierre all be removed from the ballot. Judge James Maceroni of Macomb Circuit Court agreed Berdy had “no other adequate legal remedy.”

Berdy celebrated in a news release, saying, “this was a thorough 11-page opinion that the Judge spent several days working on. We fully expect it will be upheld if the City appeals.

“It’s a new chapter for Warren city government.”

Not so fast, said Boccomino, the Warren City Council secretary, when reached for comment Friday.

“There’s no need for panic,” Boccomino said. “Regardless of which way the judge ruled on this, an appeal was expected — either by Berdy, if it was not in his favor, or by the city.”

“We have a right of appeal to the state’s higher court and I expect we will fast-track this and have something filed on Monday and hopefully a decision back by the end of the week,” he said.

Boccomino noted: “The final ballots don’t have to printed up before the beginning of July.”

“None of us want to be removed by a judge,” he stressed. “If the voters don’t think we are doing a good job, let them decide by electing someone else in to office.”

Boccomino said the issue stems from Warren City Council amending the city charter in 1998 to provide for term limits of three terms or 12 years on the council. In 2010, voters approved an amendment to change the council from nine members to seven, with five elected by districts and two at-large.

A city attorney opined that the district and at-large seats were distinct offices, and a council member could serve three terms in each.

It’s Boccomino’s view — and, he believes, of his colleagues — that the term limits began in 2010, not when council members were elected under different rules. Boccomino, who seeks a district seat, has served one term as an at-large councilman and two terms as a district councilman.

St. Pierre has been on council for six terms, four before the amendments and two after the amendments, and has filed to be an at-large councilman. Stevens, an at-large councilman, has served three consecutive terms as at at-large councilman and seeks a district seat in 2019.

Warner, the council’s vice president, seeks a district seat and has served two terms as a district councilman and one term as an at-large councilman.

“I think we will work this out in an appeal,” Boccomino said. “If not, perhaps there are other options.

 Someone might even run as a write-in candidate and set up another legal question of whether they were being denied a right to run for office and denying voters their right to vote.”

Beverly Tran v. Hamtramck B... by on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Wayne County Clerk To Intervene In Hamtramck Elections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 21, 2013

(HAMTRAMCK, MI) ~ On June 20, 2013, Judge Patricia Perez Fresard granted the Wayne County Clerk to intervene in a case filed by Hamtramck City Council Candidate, Beverly Tran.

According to the complaint, Tran, filing in the Third Judicial Circuit identifies violations of the Michigan Open Meeting Act and Michigan Election Law because the City Bureau of Elections Commission does not meet nor does the City have any election policy.

Tran filed multiple challenges against candidate nomination petition filings but found there was no Election Commission to issue rulings.  She also alleges numerous violations of Election Law in the operations of elections.

Tran issued the following statement:

“People did not only die for the right to vote, they also died for the right to be elected.”

 

Last week Tran’s water was shut off without notice, her electrical lines were cut and doors kicked in.  She has lost the majority of her possessions.  As a matter of safety she is no longer in the property.

Hearing is scheduled for June 28, 2013 to expedite Tran’s request for injunction and ruling on her candidate nomination challenges for removal from the ballot.

Ballots are printed with candidate names 45 days prior to the Primary Election.

Michigan Bureau of Elections has yet to respond on whether it will be enjoining the case. 

Case #:13-007372-CZ

  

Beverly Tran v. Hamtramck B... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Butch Hollowell Is Definitely Going To Have Some Serious Attorney Client Privilege Immunity Issues When It Comes To The Detroit Elections Commission

"I did not interfere in any elections...or money laundering."

Ah, I remember when I first sprinkled magical stinky dust over the Hamtramck Board of Elections and the Wayne County Election Commission......

I bet Butch remembers, too.

Someone should ask him or we could just follow the campaign contributions.

Election commission rules Duggan recall petition can proceed

Detroit — The Wayne County Election Commission on Thursday signed off on a recall petition filed by a west side resident hoping to mount a campaign to oust Mayor Mike Duggan.

The petition, brought by activist Brenda Hill, was filed on April 22 with the Wayne County Clerk's Office. In her petition, Hill cites an investigation into whether the city gave favor to a nonprofit dedicated to preventing premature births and the mayor's alleged ties to the doctor who heads it.

The Election Commission, comprised of Wayne County Probate Court Chief Judge Freddie G. Burton Jr., Wayne County Clerk Cathy M. Garrett and Wayne County Treasurer Eric Sabree, signed off on the clarity of Hill's petition. It is now fit for gathering signatures. The mayor's legal counsel has the option of challenging the ruling.

Hill contends Duggan "has no respect for citizens" and that he should be "very afraid."

"This specifically has brought to the forefront his ability to have relationships and use the city's taxpayer money in relation to an employee ... to get grants for this person and to fundraise as well," Hill said. "We're going to sit down and discuss some strategy. We have 180 days to do what we're going to do."

Gary Gordon, an attorney for the Dykema law firm representing Duggan at the hearing, argued that Hill's language was "sloppy" and "inaccurate" and "demonstrated a lack of due diligence." He also pointed out what he contends are factual inaccuracies in the petitions, saying they are "salacious, unnecessary" and "don't address the conduct of the mayor."

Melvin Hollowell, Detroit's former corporation counsel and an attorney for the Miller Law Firm also representing Duggan, noted the allegations referenced in Hill's petition have to be based on conduct in Duggan's current term. That began Jan. 1, 2018, he said. Ultimately, the commission voted 2-1 on the petition, with Sabree voting no.

"I move that the language is sufficient and clear to warrant distribution of the recall petition," Burton said. "To be very clear, I am not making a determination that anything in this recall petition is true. That's not for this body to decide whether it's true or not."

A second petition with nearly identical wording was rejected by the commission.

Hollowell said that the mayor's legal team is confident the recall ultimately will not appear on a ballot.

"We'll carefully examine the remaining issue and determine whether or not to appeal, but I think it's a pretty safe bet," he said.

The city's Office of Inspector General launched a review on April 5 to determine whether Duggan and city officials potentially "abused their authority" by providing preferential treatment to the Make Your Date program.

The investigation came after the Detroit Free Press reported that the program received $358,000 in city grants and benefited from a fundraising campaign that a city official led at the mayor’s request.

A third petition filed by litigious activist Robert Davis of Highland Park was unanimously rejected by the panel after a debate over his residency.

Davis, who will be assisting Hill in the campaign, said a formal political action committee will be formed in the coming days to raise funds for the recall campaign.

Davis said commitments have been made by “Detroit businessmen” toward the effort. He said the pledged funding is about $50,000 but declined to specify who was planning to kick in funding in advance of the filing.

Political analyst Mario Morrow filed a complaint Thursday with the state Bureau of Elections, accusing Davis of violating the Michigan Campaign Finance Act.

Morrow, in his complaint, said Davis failed to file a statement of organization in the time required as well as a finance statement to reveal how much funding has been allocated toward the effort and who is supplying it.

"It doesn't seem above board to me as a political observer and a political watchdog," he said. "I have no problem with people calling for recalls or filing complaints, but if you are going to hold somebody to a higher standard, you better make sure that you are holding yourself to a high standard as well."

Davis said Thursday evening that “Mr. Morrow has 24 hrs to withdraw the complaint that has been filed with the Secretary of State, otherwise my team of lawyers will be suing Mr. Morrow for filing such a frivolous complaint.”

Shawn Starkey, a spokesman for the Secretary of State's Office, confirmed a complaint against Davis was received and that the state has five days to review it and determine whether it warrants an investigation.

Davis contends that he's complied with the rules, since no donations have been accepted yet, only "verbal commitments."

Davis said that the campaign plans to gather signatures during the summer months.

In response to the prospect of an appeal, Davis said that Duggan is “wasting the taxpayers’ money in the city of Detroit on a useless legal fund.”

Davis argued during the hearing that the statue doesn't require he be a resident for his petition to be valid. A prior recall petition targeting Duggan, he said, was permitted to proceed by a federal judge.

Davis has said that his residency hasn't changed since his last recall petition was filed and it isn't a factor. 

At that time, Davis filed a recall petition against Duggan for his hiring of the city's former corporation counsel. After a legal dispute in Davis' effort, which also sought to recall former Gov. Rick Snyder over his role in the Flint water crisis, U.S. District Court Judge Judith E. Levy ruled Davis could circulate the Duggan recall petition. Ultimately, he did not collect the signatures.

Prior to the commission's vote, Gordon argued that Davis "has no standing to argue Mike Duggan should be recalled,” and that “any petition filed by him in his name is invalid.”

Duggan last week took a shot at Davis over a past criminal conviction and attempt to spearhead a recall against the mayor.

The activist has a federal conviction for embezzling taxpayer funds while he served as a school board member in Highland Park.

Duggan added that he was sure the recall effort would "work itself out" and that "the people in the city will decide; it's in the charter."

Davis has argued Duggan's remarks are an "absurd" attempt to deflect from his own actions.

Davis served 10 months in prison for stealing $200,000 from Highland Park Schools between 2004 and 2010. The former school board member was accused by prosecutors of funneling money from a school contractor to two separate companies he had created.

Duggan's spokesman, John Roach, on Thursday said the mayor has "tremendous support" in the city.

"They need 50,000 recall signatures from a city where only 22,000 people even voted against the mayor in November 2017," said Roach in an email, adding Duggan's legal representation in the matter is being paid for out of his campaign fund.

Duggan this month said he intends to be "100 percent" cooperative in the inspector general investigation.

The mayor has said the city didn't direct any dollars toward the nonprofit. The partnership was with Wayne State University directly, which runs the program.

The News reviewed a 2017 email from Alexis Wiley, Duggan's chief of staff, to the program's leader, Dr. Sonia Hassan, who is affiliated with Wayne State University.

"Dr. Hassan, I’d like to introduce you to Ryan Friedrichs. He is our chief development officer and the Mayor has tasked him with launching a large scale fundraising effort to Make Your Date. He’ll be in touch soon!”

Duggan's relationship to Hassan has been publicly questioned in recent months.

Businessman Robert Carmack, who has been locked in a legal battle with the city and a public feud with Duggan, recently accused the mayor of bribery and infidelity in banners flown over Comerica Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit.

Carmack last year aired private investigator footage of the mayor's comings and goings on a billboard truck outside City Hall.

On Friday, Carmack called Inspector General Ellen Ha's review a "sham" based on statements Ha made to Carmack during a recently secretly recorded meeting.

Ha's office stood by its probe and her credentials. 

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

The Tale Of SIGTARP, Hans von Spalovsky, Janice Winfrey & Gerrymandering In The Detroit Russian 2016 Election Interference

https://publicinterestlegal.org/

Gather round, my Dearies for the Celestial Goddess of the Woodshed shall tell the tale of Janice Winfrey, Hans von Spakowsky, & stealin' the children, land & votes.

I smell Mittens Romney and his Carlyle Cabal.

This is not about dead people voting, this is a legal psyoptic to cover up using Detroit Land Bank Authority properties in some jacked up voter packing scam through absentee ballots.

Have you ever wondered to the identities of foster care upon termination of parental right?

What about all those absentee voters, who are under the legal custodialship and guardianship, whose voting rights are transferred by state grant to a private, foreign corporation?

Praise the lord.

What about adoptee former voting rights?

Is this chattel even considered?

Nope.

You know why?

SIGTARP.

Hans von Spalovsky

Yup, this lawsuit is the fault of SIGTARP because no one will say anything about the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

Naughty, SIGTARP!

SIGTARP should go ask Janice Winfrey to tell her tale.

I bet it will be just riveting.

SIGTARP must definitely ask Hans von Spakowsky to tell his tale.

I bet Hans has lovely tales of to tell about his heritage, according to Wikipedia:

Hans Anatol von Spakovsky (born March 11, 1959) is an American attorney and a former member of the Federal Election Commission (FEC). He is the manager of the Heritage Foundation's Election Law Reform Initiative and a senior legal fellow in Heritage's Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies.[1] He is an advocate for more restrictive voting laws.[2][3] He has been described as playing an influential role in making alarmism about voter fraud mainstream in the Republican Party, despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud.[4][5]
He was nominated to the FEC by President George W. Bush on December 15, 2005, and was appointed by recess appointment on January 4, 2006.[6] However, von Spakovsky's nomination was opposed by Senate Democrats, who argued that his oversight of voter laws was unacceptably partisan and that he had consistently acted to disenfranchise poor and minority voters.[7][8] Opposition to the nomination was bolstered by objections from career Justice Department staff, who accused von Spakovsky of politicizing his nominally non-partisan office to an unprecedented degree.[9] While von Spakovsky and the Bush Administration denied the accusations of partisanship, the nomination was withdrawn on May 15, 2008.[10] Von Spakovsky subsequently joined the staff of the Heritage Foundation, a politically conservative think tank. On June 29, 2017, President Donald J. Trump named him to be a member of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.[11]

Von Spakovsky was born in Huntsville, Alabama, where his parents had eventually settled after immigrating to the United States in 1951. His German mother met his Russian father Anatoly von Spakovsky, who had settled in Yugoslavia after WWI and then fled to Germany after WWII, in a German refugee camp for displaced persons.[5] Von Spakovsky received a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1981 and a J.D. from the Vanderbilt University Law School in 1984. Von Spakovsky is a member of the Georgia and Tennessee bars. Before entering politics, he worked as a government affairs consultant, in a corporate legal department, and in private practice.
Von Spakovsky served as Republican Party chairman in Fulton County, Georgia, and as a Republican appointee to the Fulton County Registration and Election Board, where he championed strict voter-identification laws.[12][13] Von Spakovsky became a member of Voting Integrity Project, which investigated alleged voter fraud across the United States,[14] as well as a member of the politically conservative Federalist Society. He worked as a lawyer for George W. Bush's team during the 2000 Florida Presidential election recount.[12] After Bush's election victory, von Spakovsky was appointed to the Civil Rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice.[14] 

I like Hans better than John Christian Adams, even though they are both co-conspirators.

FUN FACT! Michael Brady, former legal counsel for the fake ass Detroit Land Bank Authority is now with the Michigan Secretary of State.

Michigan has some serious errors going on in the administration of their meshed databases with local and county governments because the data are corrupt, where they run double books.

There may not be as many registered voters in this area, where I am including Hamtramck and Highland Park, which also makes Han's case suck because he probably failed to identify those geopolitical areas, intentionally, of course.

There may be even less of population due to the issues with the double books.

It always starts in child welfare because no one cares, not even Hans or Janice.

Hans von Spakovsky Lies about Voter Fraud. Now He’s Testifying Before Congress

For all the reasons, cited, above, I am calling this another one of those Crafty Creations by the "Legal Geniuses" (trademark pending) because it is a distractionary, dilatory action, to divert everyone's attention from the gerrymander for the simple fact that the reporting on the case, since I have yet to see the original complaint, fails to mention the Detroit Land Bank Authority.

So, why is it #perkinscoiesucks is pulling out all the big guns to distract from gerrymandering as Russian interference in the 2016 election?

I believe SIGTARP is really going to have to spend quality time with Hans, but I am pretty sure this is was, notice I reference to the outcome of the case, to be their Hail Mary Pass, GO BLUE!, to save the day from the unsealing of the Detroit Grand Juries.

And that ends another tale of stealin' the children, land and votes.

#perkinscoiesucks

#maytheheavensfall

Suit alleges Detroit has thousands of dead residents on voting rolls

An advocacy group is suing Detroit election officials, claiming they violated the National Voter Registration Act by failing to properly maintain city voting rolls, including listing long-dead residents and keeping multiple registrations for the same people.

The "failure" to comply with federal voter registration laws "undermined the confidence of Detroit’s properly registered voters in the integrity of the voter registration rolls and, accordingly, has undermined the integrity of elections held both within the city of Detroit and across the state of Michigan," the complaint contends.

The Public Interest Legal Foundation filed the suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court, targeting Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey and elections director George Azzouz.

The nonpartisan, Indiana-based nonprofit filed the lawsuit after spending more than two years seeking to resolve Detroit's voting record issues. The foundation said it attempted “to cure problems” with the voter roll maintenance practices when it first requested records on Oct. 3, 2017.

Ultimately, it purchased the state’s entire voter roll on April 1 and analyzed Detroit's voter registration list. Multiple efforts have since been made to have Detroit's discrepancies corrected, but the alleged errors were "brushed aside," said Logan Churchwell, communications and research director for the group.

"Someone dropped the ball, and they keep dropping it," Churchwell said. "All you need is a little bit of chaos to spread distrust."


Duggan administration spokesman John Roach in an email Wednesday referred questions to Winfrey. The city's Law Department, he added, has not seen the lawsuit, nor has it been asked by the clerk to represent her office on the complaint.

Reached Wednesday, Winfrey did not immediately comment on the filing. Azzouz did not return a message left by The News.

The city had 511,786 registered voters as of the 2016 general election, according to Detroit election data, while the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey that year estimated Detroit only had 479,267 voting-age residents, the lawsuit said.

This year, analyzing the city’s official voter registration list from the state roll, Public Interest members “identified records listing years of birth indicating registrants of 105 years of age and older, with some records listing dates of birth in the nineteenth century. According to the foundation’s research, the oldest, active registrant in the city of Detroit was purportedly born in 1823, 14 years before Michigan was admitted to the Union as the 26th state,” according to the suit.

Through more research and further checking of Social Security and other records, the foundation also found “a significant number of deceased registrants whose registrations should have been canceled, but remain registered to vote in Detroit,” the suit reads.

For example, in a sample of 2,503 voter registrants flagged as likely dead, “(65) percent, or 1,629 registrants, have been deceased for more than 10 years. Of those, 898 registrants have been deceased for more than 15 years, 324 registrants have been deceased for more than 20 years, and 13 have been deceased for more than 25 years,” according to the court document.

When poring over city voters rolls to find identical or closely matching names, addresses and birth dates, “the foundation’s comparison yielded a list of 2,384 entries that are likely duplicates or triplicates," the filing said. “... The defendants have many tools available to conduct list maintenance and, yet, they are failing to reasonably maintain the city of Detroit’s voter rolls."

The Public Interest Legal Foundation launched in 2014 and acts as a law firm that focuses on election administration issues. It's headed by J. Christian Adams, who formerly worked for the U.S. Justice Department's legal section and served on President Donald Trump's advisory commission on election integrity.

Churchwell said there's a private right of action built into the Voting Rights Act that permits the foundation, or others to bring such court action.

The group has filed lawsuits in Florida, Texas and Mississippi over similar alleged voting roll errors as it found in Detroit. Most have been settled or remain on appeal, he said.

"This type of lawsuit is very rare," he said. "There's just not a whole lot of case law on it."

Churchwell told The News on Wednesday that the group identified and reported similar voting roll errors to clerk's offices in Flint and Grand Rapids.

Flint City Clerk Inez Brown said the group requested information this year, but her office hasn't had the resources to complete it, nor the time, due to its focus on elections.

The city just completed an election in November and has another that's upcoming Jan. 7 as well as the March presidential primary.

The foundation, she said, is seeking a vast amount of information and for large urban cities, such as Flint and Detroit, "it's not as easy as people may think."

"We all do the best we can do to ensure everything is kept properly, in an orderly way and in accordance with state law," she said. "We're not going to do anything that's going to put the voters' rights in jeopardy."

The foundation, in its Tuesday filing, said it alerted Detroit elections staff of the concerns, corresponded with the office via email and drove out to meet with officials there.

The foundation sent a letter to Winfrey in the spring, notifying her the city allegedly was in violation of Voting Rights Act, warning of a potential lawsuit to ensure compliance.

The issues with the city's rolls, Churchwell said, have "lived on for years," and there "doesn't seem to be any effort to address them."

The suit is asking Detroit to implement effective registration list maintenance programs and ensure that ineligible voters are not on the city rolls.

But the foundation has faced some criticism over a flawed analysis several years ago involving non-citizens listed on voting rolls in Virginia that landed them in litigation.

Churchwell said public records provided by the state elections office in Virginia for the analysis was "mislabled" and "communicated wrong." A lawsuit filed by certain individuals purported to be non-citizens was settled, and the foundation apologized, he said.

Bill Ballenger, a long-time political pundit, said "people want clean voter rolls.”

“They don’t want dead wood, they don’t want people with suspicious addresses and suspicious backgrounds on the voter rolls,” he said. “The Republicans are generally more focused on enforcing that kind of regimen than Democrats are, but both sides really don’t want fraudulent people on the voter rolls who might be able to vote.”

The Detroit Clerk’s Office has faced voting-related controversies in recent years.

After the 2016 presidential election, a Wayne County canvass revealed "significant discrepancies" in the number of voters and ballots in 392 Detroit precincts.

The Michigan Bureau of Election "found no evidence of pervasive voter fraud," according to a 24-page audit, but noted that more than half of 136 Detroit precincts had nearly 600 questionable votes, which was reduced to 216 after extensive review.

Poll worker errors in the 2017 general election prevented 20% of reviewed precincts from being recounted.

Winfrey has said the city bought new voting machines and beefed up poll worker training to address the issues.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

I Finally Memorialized The Death Of Raymond Wojtowicz Former Hamtramck Mayor & Wayne County Treasurer

Ray Wojtowicz

I learned how they were flipping charities and properties from Ray Wojtowicz when he was hanging tough at the  PIAST Institute because he lived right around the corner in the Hamtramck Historic District.

They all treated me like I was a worthless, ignorant, savage pagan, who was too vague to hate, yet a blast to celebrate.

It costs $25 to start a nonprofit in Michigan.

Then, when you run for office, sell the nonprofit for $250,000 for your campaign by donating to yourself as a personal contribution.

Then, after you win, or lose, you donate the leftovers of your campaign finance, in accordance to Michigan Campaign Finance Law, to your other nonprofit, that you can either use to sell for your next cycle of perpetual campaigning, like Taras used to do, or, you could invest in real estate, and start doing the early stages of the corporate shape shifting grift.

TAH DAH!

Ray was pimping big stupid money from the Wayne County Property Taxes.

He got a percentage on the money collected, and, if you were really, really nice to him, you could even get some free properties.

My sincerest apologies for missing this most auspicious moment in history.

#maytheheavensfall

Retired Wayne Co. treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz dies

Detroit — Former Wayne County treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz has died, officials said Wednesday. He was 90.

"Today, I was saddened to hear of the passing of former Wayne County Treasurer Raymond J. Wojtowicz," said Eric Sabree, the county's current treasurer, in a statement. "In 2011, (he) gave me the opportunity to work under his leadership in the Treasurer’s Office. My condolences and prayers go out to (his entire) family during this difficult time."

I am saddened to hear of the passing of former Wayne County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz who admirably served our 43 communities for nearly 40 years, including his beloved hometown of Hamtramck. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Wojtowicz family at this difficult time.” pic.twitter.com/GybX1NvZtI

— Warren C. Evans (@CountyExecEvans) January 8, 2020

During his lengthy tenure, the Hamtramck native earned praise for working with distressed homeowners facing tax foreclosure, but also faced criticism because his office oversaw the foreclosure of more than 100,000 properties in a decade, The Detroit News reported.

Alisha Bell, chair of the Wayne County Commission, described Wojtowicz as "dedicated" to his job.

"He was a dedicated fiscal steward, overseeing billions of county tax dollars during his long run as Wayne County Treasurer," Bell said in an emailed statement. "He was a steady and stabilizing hand, helping guide Wayne County through some very tough financial times during his tenure."

Wayne County Executive Warren Evans also commented on the retired official's passing.

"I am saddened to hear of the passing of former Wayne County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz who admirably served our 43 communities for nearly 40 years, including his beloved hometown of Hamtramck," Evans tweeted. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Wojtowicz family at this difficult time.”

When seeking re-election in 2008, Wojtowicz touted his experience in The News, including working with 20 nonprofits to give assistance to people unable to pay their property taxes.

"Every day, there are issues that come up where people need assistance," he told the publication at the time. "I enjoy doing (the job) for the benefit for all of the people in Wayne County."

Wojtowicz retired as county treasurer Dec. 1, 2015, after nearly 40 years in office. He was 86 at the time. A Democrat, he was last elected county treasurer in 2012.

He previously served as mayor of Hamtramck.

A graduate of St. Ladislaus High School and Great Lakes College, Wojtowicz also served as a Wayne County Community College trustee. He was a married father of five children and a grandfather, according to Detroit News archives.

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©

Cocktails & Popcorn: Butch Hollowell Sucks And Is Back To Save A Campaign, His Collaborators & Himself

Butch Hollowell,
"Legal Genius"
(trademark pending)

In this exciting installation of Cocktails & Popcorn, we are bringing back Melvin "Butch" Hollowell, a "Legal Genius" (trademark pending) in the fields of government administration and DNC campaigns, who knows well the art of sucking.

I knew Butch Hollowell would raise his head from his safe harbor of Miller Law after he jumped ship from the City of Detroit.

It just never dawned on me that it would morph into the holy alliance of a desperate coalition.

This is going to be messy, but hey, what do I know?

I wonder if this is pro bono  or an act of self-preservation...or both?

I must say, I am quite surprised that Reggie Turner was not approached for this endeavor.

The following is taken from his bio from the Miller Law Firm site:

Boy, does Butch suck!

Melvin Butch Hollowell serves as Managing Partner of The Miller Law Firm Detroit where he oversees the firm’s practice at its new downtown Detroit locatio Hollowell specializes in complex commercial litigation and class action matters, municipal law, election law, corporate transactions and civil rights. It seems Mike Duggan was kind to Butch, just like he was kind to Johnathan Kinloch.

Hollowell is recognized by his peers in Michigan and at the national level as being at the top of the profession. This is left wide open for input from those who actually know him when he was working for the John Kerry Presidential campaign. He was elected as a “Fellow” of the Michigan State Bar Foundation, a recognition reserved for the top five percent of Michigan lawyers. He was selected by Michigan Lawyers Weekly as a “Leader in the Law,” one of the most select and prestigious recognitions in the state’s legal profession. Hollowell is a recipient of the Wolverine Bar Association’s “President’s Award,” the highest honor that can be bestowed by the organization. Hollowell received the AV Preeminent Rating by Martindale-Hubbell, the “Highest possible rating in both legal ability and ethical standards, through a strenuous Peer Review Rating process which evaluates lawyers in the United States and Canada.” He is a Life Member of the Judicial Conference of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Hollowell has served on the National N.A.A.C.P. Legal Committee by appointment of the Association’s Chair. He is a recipient of the “Exemplary Service” award, presented by his colleagues in the City of Detroit’s Office of the Corporation Counsel. At the end of his four-year tenure as the City of Detroit’s Corporation Counsel, the Detroit City Council presented Hollowell with its highest recognition, the “Testimonial Resolution.” 

Meme Credit: Adaj Parr, 4-26-2016
Facebook Group: "Why are you a member of the Detroit NAACP?"
http://archive.is/HTYGe

In private practice, Hollowell was retained by The Miller Law Firm to handle a significant federal class action matter: Davidson v. Henkel of America, Inc., (2:12-cv-14103-LPZ-DRG) involving the loss of retirement pay sustained by the class through defendant’s failure to take advantage of available favorable tax treatment for applicable company retirees in its deferred compensation plan. Hollowell prevailed in the matter winning a 100% recovery for the class.

Immediately prior to his association with The Miller Law Firm, Hollowell completed a four-year term as Corporation Counsel of the City of Detroit, the City’s chief legal officer. He was appointed to the position by Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, unanimously confirmed by the Detroit City Council, and sworn-in to office in January 2014. During this transformative period in the life of the City, he assumed the role of Director of the City’s 70-attorney Law Department and was lead counsel to the Mayor, City Council, City Clerk, Police and Fire Departments, and all City departments, boards, commissions and agencies. In this role he also served as the City’s chief criminal prosecutor.

Among his accomplishments as Corporation Counsel were:

• Reducing litigation payouts by nearly 50%, from a historic average of $30 million per year to $16 million in 2016 The proper term is called settlement.  Litigation payouts I personally consider to be code for "attorney fees".
• Led the case that ended 11 years of Department of Justice oversight of the Detroit Police Department, saving the City $86,000 per month and establishing the DPD as a constitutional policing agency   A constitutional policing agency is supposed to collaborate with the DOJ to protect the rights of the people, but I guess that interpretation was modified to further the city governmental interest when it came to the Detroit Land bank Authority.
• Managed the City’s legal process through the 2014 Chapter 9 bankruptcy proceedings and allowed everyone to file as a creditor, including the Detroit Land Bank Authority
• Collected $20 million from bankruptcy consultants for overbilling This is called kickback litigation: putting on a show to make it look like you are actually doing what you are supposed to be doing, but, instead, allowed everyone to pilfer the properties and national treasures of the City.
• Created the Commercial Blight Unit to hold property owners accountable for compliance with City standards. This unit collected over $601, 650 in judgments from non-compliant property owners, and never lost a case The Unit never lost a case because he just let Mike Duggan put his name on Detroit Land Bank Authority quiet title actions behind the backs of the property owners and allowed them to use TARP to do it.
• Created the Income Tax Unit to ensure citizens and businesses in the City pay their fair share for City services. This unit has collected over $5.3 million and never lost a case He never lost a case because the data were used for electioneering.  He never lost a case because Larry Garcia is doing what Butch never did.  It is called litigation.
• Created Project Clean Slate, a pioneering program in which 100 volunteer lawyers and 100 volunteer law students provide free legal representation in non-violent criminal expungements in exchange for the applicant agreeing to sign up for the City’s job readiness program. The participating lawyers and law students in this project never lost a case  I heard rumors on the streets that he never lost a case because he never litigated a case.  Settlements are not zero sum outcomes.  I also wonder if these were the same "volunteer law students" the Detroit Land Bank Authority had up in Columbo's courtroom running these bogus quiet title cases?



The Detroit Land Bank Authority is not part of
the City of Detroit, but Butch cloaked its operations, anyway.

• Worked with the Duggan Administration and the City Council to write and implement the City’s first medical marihuana ordinances which took effect March 1, 2016; and he oversaw regulation and compliance with the ordinances, alongside the Police Department and the Buildings Safety Engineering and Environmental Department, and defended the ordinances in court. The Law Department lost none of these cases Considering the fact that said ordinances were poorly constructed, I would really not be taking credit for the lack of obviation with other legislative jurisdictions.

When he announced that he was stepping down from his position at City Hall to accept the position as Managing Partner, The Miller Law Firm Detroit, Mayor Duggan thanked Hollowell for his service and praised his accomplishments: “Under Butch Hollowell’s leadership, not only has the city saved millions of dollars in lawsuit settlements that can be used for critical city services, his vigorous efforts to address the issues of commercial blight, illegal graffiti and illegal dumping have greatly improved the quality of life in Detroit’s neighborhoods.   It’s no surprise The Miller Law Firm recognized Butch’s outstanding abilities as a lawyer and administrator and recruited him to their team.”

City Council President Brenda Jones added, “I appreciate Butch Hollowell’s service to the Detroit City Council. He represented us in key legislation, cut the flow of lawsuit payouts in half and worked to ensure the best interests of the city were protected. Under Butch’s leadership, excellent legal advice was provided to City Council and we wish him well in this new chapter of his life.”

During his tenure at the City, he served as a board member of the Downtown Development Authority as a Mayoral appointee, where he also chaired the DDA’s 4.1(c) sub-committee overseeing the award of contacts exceeding $500,000 and spearheaded a super secret procurement task force when it came to TARP contracts. He served as a Commissioner of the Detroit Election Commission where he participated in questionable election practices during the 2016 primary and general elections and as a Trustee of the City’s Police and Fire Pension Board.

Hollowell was a Shareholder at Butzel Long, P.C. and at Allen Brothers PLLC, where he represented the City of Hamtramck without resolution or contract, and not even notifying the court, to cover up election fraud, getting paid under the table, practicing commercial litigation, business transactions, and municipal and election law. He was also General Counsel of the Detroit Branch N.A.A.C.P., where he litigated voting rights, redistricting, and gerrymandering of the 13th & 14 Congressional Districts, equal access to education matters in the federal courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court (Schuette v. Cantrell, 572 U.S. __; 134 S. Ct. 1623 (2014); Docket No. 12–682). 

Hollowell served as Insurance Consumer Advocate for the State of Michigan by appointment of the Governor. Hollowell was appointed to Vice President Al Gore’s litigation team in Miami (pro hac vice), under Kendall Coffey, during the 2000 Presidential Recount. He was the first African American Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party when first began his attempts to take John Conyers, Jr. out of office, and also served on the Democratic National Committee where he oversaw questionable campaign finance activities in the party. He was elected to the Rules Committee of the 2016 Democratic National Convention which has led to a full scale international conjugal collaborative investigation in campaign and election fraud. Hollowell was Treasurer for Jennifer Granholm’s successful campaigns for Governor of Michigan and Michigan Attorney General where there is also another federal investigation into these past campaign practices.

Hollowell is a Member of the United States Supreme Court Bar, he is admitted to practice before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, and the courts of the State of Michigan. He is a member of the State Bar of Michigan and the American Bar Association.

Hollowell received his Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1984 where he was President of the Black Law Students Association. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Albion College in 1981 where he was elected commencement speaker by his fellow classmates. He is a graduate of the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy, Class of 1977.

Hollowell is active in the community, having served on the boards of the Detroit Branch N.A.A.C.P., Cass Community Social Services, the Wolverine Bar Association, Marygrove College, Albion College, Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit Music Hall, the Nature Conservancy – Michigan Chapter, and the University of Detroit Jesuit High School and Academy. In 2018 Mr. Hollowell was appointed General Chairman of the Detroit Branch N.A.A.C.P. Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner, the largest sit-down slush fund dinner in the world, and the single largest fundraiser for civil rights slush funds in the United States.

Hollowell was born at Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. He speaks Spanish, is an avid tennis player, has traveled widely, and plays acoustic guitar in a band called “the Meltones” with his son Melvin III. He has two children, Melvin III and Desiree, and three grandchildren, Jack, Allie, and Jacob. He lives in downtown Detroit.

This is just getting started, Butch.  I still remember what you said about us in your response to my first Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission filing.

Perhaps, just perhaps, Perkins Coie had a previous commitment and could not assist in this matter.

You suck, Butch.  You suck, badly.

Conyers fights to remain on the ballot and give voters a fair choice

John Conyers, III, a candidate for Michigan’s 13th Congressional District, filed a lawsuit today in the Wayne County Circuit Court asking the chief judge to order the county clerk to place John Conyers, III on the primary and general ballot for Michigan 13th Congressional District.

“Voters have a right to a fair choice,” said Conyers. “Attempts to suppress the voice of voters or any other machinations designed to narrow voters’ choices won’t work. After comparing the qualified state voter registration file to our petition signors, we are confident that the court will have little choice other than to uphold the sacred right to vote and to place my name on the ballots.”

An attorney for the campaign, Melvin Butch Hollowell of the Miller Law Firm said “It’s incredibly important for the court to validate the voice of voters who validly signed petitions in order that John Conyers, III be on the ballot in August and November.”

I smell fear.

Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission Request For Investigation Of City Of Detroit Corporate Counsel Melvi... by Beverly Tran on Scribd

The moral of the story, once again: "Do not be mean to my Sweetie."

Voting is beautiful, be beautiful ~ vote.©