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Canapes with Chuck
By adamg on Fri, 03/20/2009 - 9:23am
Mike Ball reports that a JP philanthropist is throwing a support party for Innocent Until Proven Guilty City Councilor Chuck Turner tonight so that Turner can continue to raise poor people out of poverty. Interestingly, although the invite says the gathering is to raise funds for Turner's legal defense, attendees are asked to make out their checks to the Committee to Re-Elect Chuck Turner.
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Comments
What a waste of this man's
What a waste of this man's money--a real blockhead who is blinded by his rigid political framework that a black politician who talks about "progressive" things must be the genuine article. Let me tell you--Turner is a snake-oil salesman and anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.
I wonder
Will the fire breathing rebels arrive at the party early?
Interesting? Not really
In the interest of full disclosure, I attended the fundraiser for Councilor Turner in JP last night. There were around 75 people in attendance, and according to the host, the event raised close to $7,500.
Adam suggests that it's "interesting" that checks were to be made out to Turner's campaign committee. The clear implication is that there is something untoward going on. There isn't.
Those close to the situation realize that Turner has lent his campaign committee over $100,000 of his own money to keep an office open in his district (51 Roxbury St., in Dudley Square). This money appears as campaign debt in his OCPF filings (money he owes himself, basically). This fact has gone largely unreported in mainstream media accounts of the Turner case, but helps explain why his constituents appreciate him so much.
Campaign cash can be used to repay the money Turner, through his re-election committee, has spent to serve his District 7 constituents. It can then be spent to fight off the bogus charges resulting from the FBI's sting operation.
It's probably not the best use of his campaign cash in an election year, but I'm sure he'll survive. If Carlos Henriquez (http://www.voteforcarlos.com/) wants to be on the business end of another 80-20 thrashing, that's his call. Turner's numbers could conceivably go up, based on the legitimate perception in his district that he's being targeted for speaking out about the pervasive inequality that still plagues the Hub. I guess we'll see.
"bogus" charges, "targeted" prosecution, both, or neither?
I really, really wish I could go along easily with the blithe line that the charges against Turner are "bogus," and it would fit comfortably into my uncharitable view towards Boston and race if I could buy into ongoing suggestions that Turner was "targeted" because he's an outspoken advocate for the city's communities of color.
But the multiple and somewhat inconsistent explanations of what happened coming from Turner himself, not to mention the instantaneous, knee-jerk reactions of his defenders (guaranteed to happen 'round these parts regardless of the ethnic or political makeup of said group), make it hard for me to do so.
I do believe that within certain (less than diverse) circles, there was a sort of glee over the fact that an uppity African American political leader was nabbed on corruption charges. Those same circles have been awfully forgiving of the considerably more corrupt activities of some of "their own." So for that reason, there would be a rough sense of justice if Turner got off with, at worst, a slap on the wrist. Let's be honest: In this town bags of cash containing a lot more than $1,000 have been delivered quite freely, with nary a prosecution.