I get the feeling he thinks he's capitalizing on a tea party zeitgeist of which he would be a natural leader, and he must seize the moment personal circumstances be damned--but this is really not a good way to announce your candidacy for governor:
Sizemore filed Monday to seek the Republican nomination for governor, to the surprise of GOP political insiders. Sizemore didn't return a call for comment, but he did release a statement to NW Republican saying he was willing to challenge a court order enjoining him from raising or spending money in politics. [emph mine]
"And I promise I will fight this scurrilous double murder charge, AND keep an honest and positive outlook on my race for all Oregonians." You have to go back to Olmert in Israel, with the "If I am indicted, I will resign" line--but hell, Sizemore's gone waaaay beyond simply being indicted. In any case, the line is surely an announcement and epitaph in one, for half the production cost. Carry on.
Janice Thompson at Democracy Reform Oregon reminded me that there's an excellent, longer-term report on this kind of stuff that they published earlier this year. The more the better!
The report found the average Oregon legislative race raised $124,000 in 2008, a 51 percent increase from 2004. But even as the total amount increased, the actual competitiveness of the races decreased: Incumbents running for re-election were likely to hold on to their seats and fundraising was often lopsided.
Legislative candidates weren’t the only ones raising money in 2008. Ballot measure committees also raised significant amounts. Unions, which gave one of every three dollars in the state overall, contributed the most to ballot measure committees.
While the amount of money contributed to elections raised dramatically in 2008, the number of people giving did not. Only 0.1 percent of Oregon’s population gave money to a candidate, party, or ballot measure during the election cycle.
When the most recent contempt ruling against Bill Sizemore was announced and Bill actually went to jail for 36 hours or so, perhaps the most interesting part of Judge Judy (!!) Janice Wilson's ruling was "Appendix A," a four-page catalog of what Wilson called Sizemore's "deceits"--false statements on documents and in testimony under oath among them, it appeared. What both former Sizemore employee Becky Miller and I both wondered was, "When is Sizemore going to have his blatant lies catch up with him?"
Am I psychotic? Is it wrong to think that when a judge writes "oh by the way, you are a compulsive liar who has repeatedly written bullshit down on your declaration forms and given bullshit answers under oath," that someone might well consider whether a crime has been committed? Don't they call that perjury? It's a five year beef if you do it under federal purview, which some of the tax documents Wilson accuses of making false statements on, would appear to be.
But there are other statements apparently made in Oregon civil courts pursuant to his long legal battle against the state's labor coalition, and those should be locally prosecutable. Since the ruling was handed down in Multnomah County, the Multnomah County District Attorney (MCDA) would be the natural choice. So shortly after the ruling was made public, I started trying to ascertain who knew about, and was interested in investigating, what a Multnomah County judge was accusing him of in a civil proceeding.
If you don't know Becky Miller, she's an editor at Preemptive Karma who seems to have had her sense of conservatism shaken by her experience working at length for the odious Bill Sizemore some years ago. Since quitting him for good, she has been a wealth of useful info on the way Sizemore conducts his affairs, and has more than stood her ground when challenged in response by the Sham Initiative King.
As you might imagine for someone who has become so disillusioned, she is thrilled by Sizemore's jailing and the simply scathing ruling {pdf} issued Monday by Judge Janice Wilson--which includes a four-page appendix just of what Wilson sees as his serial mendacities (that means lies, folks. Untruths, fibs, deceits, obfuscations, hoodwinks. Lies.) Helpfully, Becky pulls some of the more salient sections and highlights them for the record in the interest of producing an online account. (I love that thinking; it highlights a key blogging advantage over trad-med: the opportunity to devote as much space as necessary to fully cover a topic.)
I'll let you read the whole thing; it's worth it (but recognize you might get angry at what you read)--but here are the two excerpts I like best, the first of which gives you Wilson's bottom-line conclusion:
In order to obfuscate the source of the money and his activities, Mr. Sizemore used various sham corporations including Initiative Resource Management (“IRM”), ATRF, CBS Consulting, Initiative Preservation Institute (“IPI”) and Oregon Taxpayers United (“OTU3”). He also used Democracy Direct in his ploys. Mr. Sizemore shifted the money path to make it more difficult for the plaintiffs to collect their judgments against him and to prevent the plaintiffs from learning that he was violating the injunction.
Much of this judgement rests on the idea that ATRF is a sham front organization that really doesn't do anything legitimate, and simply serves as a pass through for Parks/Wendt money. (And speaking of Wendt, read Becky's piece for a look at the mendacity described in HIS actions in funding Bill under table). Wilson seems pretty convinced there's no there, there:
What did ATRF do during the first two years of its existence? Did it carry out its purported mission to “research and publish the fiscal impact of real and proposed ballot measures”? The only evidence of what ATRF accomplished is reflected in the printouts of the content of ATRF’s website as of November 6, 2007 and January 3, 2008. The earlier printout is the most probative because it reflects what ATRF was doing before the flurry of activity after plaintiffs started investigating it. Furthermore, most of the content added by January 3, 2008, concerns initiative processes in various states (not tax systems or the fiscal impact of ballot measures) and it is undisguised cut and paste - most of it from the Initiative and Referendum Institute at the University of Southern California School of Law. [Perhaps that organization ought to go after Sizemore for plagiarism?]
Twenty-two months after ATRF was formed, and after it had spent over $1,000,000, its website contained almost no analysis of the fiscal impact of any real or proposed ballot measure. The website contained quite a bit of information about Oregon’s tax structure and its history, but provides a summary analysis of only one ballot measure by name or number – Measure 41, which was on the ballot in November 2006. That analysis, if it is not drawn completely from materials created in connection with the measure campaign, could have taken no more than a few hours to prepare.
Ouch, baby. Go read the whole thing. One other point I wanted to bring up, however: this was a civil contempt action. Yet Judge Wilson took the time to catalog four pages of deceit by Sizemore, including what appear to be statements under oath if I'm not mistaken. What opportunity (nay, responsibility!) arises for the Multno County DA to investigate perjury charges against Sizemore? Those are felonies, man. It could get a lot more serious than contempt and tax evasion for Bill. Pass the popcorn. (And to The O, who in today's op-ed soberly chided those of us remarking on Sizemore's jailing with glee: go suck an inkpot. We're giddy because FINALLY this asshole is getting what he deserves--serious legal rebuke. Unfortunately, today's op-eds are not yet online.)
PS--be sure to check the comments too; Democracy Direct and Sizemore associate Tim Trickey gives a lengthy response to Becky's piece and some of her discussions of his role in the mess.
The following is an update of yesterday's diary about Bill Sizemore's arrest for contempt of court (his fourth such citation and the first time he's been arrested for it). It contains some more details on why Sizemore was arrested and what comes next.
In what can only be described as something that is a long time coming, longtime Oregon conservative activist (and complete A-hole) Bill Sizemore was jailed today after being found in contempt of court for the fourth time. The specific incident this time was Sizemore's failure to file federal and state reporting forms required for organizations he controls to maintain their tax exempt status.
Earlier this morning the Oregonian called the last of the ballot measures for the 2008 cycle, projecting No votes on both Measure 61 (harsh crime bill) and Measure 64 (curtailing payroll deductions for political purposes). Both measures were nominally ahead in the hours after polls closed, and much like Gordon Smith held onto shrinking leads as ballots in more liberal areas were tallied.
And now like Gordon Smith, defeat must be their only sustenance--for the calls on 61 and 64 complete what may be an historic, epic defeat for not just the state Republican Party, but the conservative initiative movement that many say has plagued the state for well over a decade.
The principal losers were Bill Sizemore (64, among others) and Mannix (61, among others), and the fact that these two particular measures strongly embody each man's core values and legislative focus makes their defeat all the sweeter. Sizemore's raison d'etre has been hamstringing the political efforts of labor and public interest groups, and M64 was designed to cut the flow of funding, leaving them helpless to defend against Sizemore's future measures.
Mannix is a law and order guy, the hero of the criminal-industrial complex, and while he may take some solace in the passage of its desperately presented little brother M57, his crown jewel of incarcerative fury and expenditure has been rejected. And considering that the existence of M57 proved how easily state leaders thought M61 would pass without some counterbalance, the failure of M61 to even gain a majority--much less more votes than 57--must sting bitterly for Mannix.
Does this mean we're rid of these poxes on the polity? Of course not; I know for sure Sizemore already has 2010 measures going. What it does do, is help make an ever-easier case to voters that if it says Sizemore or Mannix, your vote should be NO. Both men were already on something of a losing streak; a couple of Sizemore's bills this year have appeared once or even twice before, and Mannix has recently been beaten by such electoral heavyweights as Ron Saxton and Mike Erickson. This utter, horrific, demoralizing and total defeat for both men stands to make them clear political pariahs, the Midas in Reverse Duo. Everything they touch turns to No! Couldn't happen to two nicer guys.
In this edition of my irregular series on Oregon political news, I discuss another set of interesting stories that have popped up. These include Sen. Wyden's (D-OR) new ad for Merkley as well as the Bill Sizemore's admission that he was using private foundation funds for his own purposes.
It's become fairly de rigeur the last couple cycles, for candidates and advocacy groups to put together a website against your political opponent. Anyone remember "NovickInsultsDemocrats.com?" Yes, it even happens between candidates of the same party, shamefully enough.
I think this site will be a lot more broadly popular, however--NoMoreSizemore.com. Unless you're a cavedweller (not that there's anything wrong with that), you've probably heard of Bill Sizemore, the enormous git who makes a living from pushing ballot initiatives that invariably fail, but cost his opponents millions in "pushback dollars" in the process. And, oh yeah, he's got a shady criminal record too--he's currently back in court fighting contempt charges, based on the fact that he (or any of his cash cow organizations that hide his money and support his business) has yet to pay a dime in retribution for previous convictions.
Speaking of the money trail, the court proceedings have revealed some details about just how much Sizemore has gotten from his campaigns, mostly from Senor Love Daddy of the Desert, Loren Parks (pictured at right). The exceedingly wrinkled Parks is said to have pushed hundreds of thousands of dollars Sizemore's way...BEYOND what he was putting into the campaign coffers of Sizemore's iniatives. I don't have much more to say on Parks, but I don't think I've ever seen a picture of the creepy sex hypnotist who has such an outsized influence on Oregon politics, so I thought I'd treat everyone this Friday. (No, don't thank me! Part of the job).
Now, back to NoSizemore.com. A service of the union-backed Defend Oregon (unions primarily being the groups currently on the hook for beating back Sizemore's dreck, and waiting for their restitution money), the site takes you into Sizemore's brain, showing the four lobes (Fraud, Making Money from the Initiative System, Recycling Bad Ideas, and Attacking Workers and Schools) and trying to ascertain how they work: The graphics and animation are pretty humorous, and of course the research is typically solid.
Here's what DO had to say for themselves:
No matter how many times Oregon voters tell him no, and no matter how many times he and his organizations get caught using fraud and forgery to get measures on the ballot, Bill Sizemore keeps coming back with more ballot measures.
That leaves many Oregonians asking: What is Bill Sizemore thinking?
NoMoreSizemore.com details Sizemore's troubled history with election law, his ongoing violations and contempt of court judgments, investigations into signature fraud, and his long track record of sponsoring vague, poorly worded ballot measures that attack working Oregonians.
As voters begin casting their ballots in two short weeks, it's important that they know who is behind the measures they're deciding on—and what his motives are. NoMoreSizemore.com is designed to give voters a look inside the mind of Oregon's most notorious initiative profiteer.
Sizemore is the author of five of this year's ballot measures: 58, 59, 60, 63, and 64. The same operation—funders and signature gatherers—were also responsible for qualifying 61 and 62, which were filed by Kevin Mannix.
Being a journalist type, I asked Communications Director Scott Moore for his take on things. Being a kick ass guy, Scott delivered:
Bill Sizemore has hijacked Oregon's initiative system for his own profit. His methods of fraud, forgery, racketeering, and getting money from out-of-state millionaires have made a mockery of the system. We invite you to take a look inside his brain--if you dare.
Go check it out, and remember: if it's a Sizemore, say No More and vote NO.
Then go wash your hands and cleanse your eyeballs.
In what I sincerely consider a public service, The Oregonian took the time to review just who the hell Bill Sizemore is, what he's done in Oregon politics, what his record is, and which of the ballot measures this fall are backed by him and his nutjob financiers. (Left unanalyzed is just who the hell he thinks he is, or how he gets off disrupting the public process with repeated contempt.) To jostle your own memory, or tell the story for your first hearing:
During the past 14 years, Sizemore and his anti-tax, anti-union allies have come to dominate Oregon's initiative system, although every Sizemore measure has been rejected by voters, overturned by the courts or changed by legislators.
After a six-year period in which Sizemore qualified only one measure for the ballot and seemed to be fading from the state's political scene, the 57-year-old activist is back.
Five of the eight citizen initiatives on the Nov. 4 ballot are authored by Sizemore, including three that are versions of earlier measures he sponsored that voters rejected.
Sizemore has returned despite multiple setbacks, including a disastrous campaign as the 1998 Republican candidate for governor and mounting legal troubles. In 2002, in a civil case brought by two teachers unions, a Multnomah County jury found that Sizemore had engaged in a pattern of racketeering that included forged signatures and filing of false financial reports as part of his effort to put two anti-union initiatives on the 2000 ballot.
The jury awarded $2.5 million plus attorney fees to the unions from two now-defunct Taxpayers United organizations that Sizemore controlled. The money has not been paid, and Sizemore has been held in contempt of court three times for violating an injunction stemming from the lawsuit.
And because Sizemore has not gone away, a coalition that stretches from labor unions to civic, religious and environmental groups to business organizations is preparing to spend millions of dollars this fall to defeat his five ballot measures and two others that were authored by another prolific initiative activist, Kevin Mannix, the former Republican Party chairman.
Is there much reason to give this scourge on the process any more consideration and analysis of his twisted motives and shameless disregard for jurisprudence and the rather obvious hint being dropped to KNOCK IT OFF? I don't think so.
But it's important that Oregon voters be clear on who Bill Sizemore is and why he has so many initiatives on the ballot. He says so himself; his intent is to get them on the ballot, not necessarily pass them. (Hint--that's a good way to make money, floating expenses from measure campaign to campaign).
Below the fold, the measure's he's sponsoring this year, so you can know in advance which to reject out of hand.
The following is a preview of the initiatives that are expected to/may qualify for the 2008 fall ballot. All signatures are due by July 3, 2008 if they have not already been submitted. Crossposted from Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/6/25/113448/828/338/541717)
Apparently Steve Novick has recharged his batteries, and is back on the horse taking folks like old nemesis Bill Sizemore to task. After a tumultuous spring the clouds have parted, the sun is shining like it's supposed to, and The Hook is giving our lesser, aggrieving citizens the what-for. All is right with the world:
On Tuesday, Bill Sizemore's measure to allow an unlimited deduction of federal taxes on Oregon income tax returns -- a repeat of a measure Oregon voters defeated in 2000 -- qualified for the November ballot. Sizemore's measure will join, among other things, Kevin Mannix's measure to impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain property crimes. What the two ballot titles won't tell voters is what impact either measure would have on education, health care, senior services and child protective services in Oregon. But, in fact, the measures will divert money that would otherwise be spent on those services.
...it's not possible to slash taxes for wealthy people or to spend lots of new money on prisons without affecting education, health care, senior services and child welfare. Repeat: It's not possible to slash taxes for wealthy people or to divert money to prisons, without affecting education, health care, senior services and child welfare.
That's not spin; it's arithmetic. There simply isn't enough "other" spending to cut. The entire "other" budget for 2007-09 is less than the amount of the Sizemore tax cut, once it's fully implemented.
Now, why won't the ballot tell people that these measures affect education and health care? By tradition, the "ballot titles" address the things a measure says it will do, but devote little if any attention to the trade-offs a measure will force. That's a disservice to voters. When measures, as these do, have clear, unavoidable and significant effects on vital services, the ballot itself should provide that information -- a surgeon general's warning, if you will.
The next Legislature should change the ballot title law to ensure that next time, Oregon's voters get that critical information upfront.
Such the man crush, have I! And why the hell not? The silver lining in not sending Steve to Washington is that as a result he stays here and Oregonians get to hog all the benefits of his advocacy. Send Merkley to DC, but let's keep the real ace down on the farm. :)
(Nice catch! Damn socialists! - promoted by torridjoe)
Hell is freezing, pigs are flying, and Bill Sizemore is proposing a tax increase. From the Mail Tribune:
"Bill Sizemore, one of Oregon's top anti-tax activists, is talking about raising Klamath County taxes to avoid cuts in public safety agencies.
Sizemore is a member of a task force of residents the county named to recommend how to cut $2.3 million from the county's $17 million general fund budget.
As in Jackson County and elsewhere, officials are struggling to make up for money the federal government used to send to timber counties.
Task force members said this week they would rather replace the loss of federal timber payments with new funds than cut the budgets of strained public safety departments.
"This isn't asking for more, just trying to make up for a loss," Sizemore said."
Bill - You should be happy about the increasing vacancies at your local county jail. You should be happy about the scaled back police force. Not only do these measures save taxpayers money, but they offer you the ability to exercise your second amendment rights more often. And of all people, YOU should know that ANY increase in taxes IS asking for more. Why can't you make due with what you have? Get creative! You wouldn't want to be responsible for increasing government waste in Klamath, would you?
I'm disappointed that a man as principled as yourself would turn into a hypocrite. How can you and Grover drown government when you're raising taxes? What will Oregon Taxpayers United think about this recent turn of events?
It's sad that the unions have to pay for this, instead of seeing state prosecutors enforcing injunctions by using contempt filings against Sizemore for flouting judgements. But they do, and they are:
The Oregon Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers-Oregon filed a contempt claim this week centering on political activist and initiative baron Bill Sizemore's fraudulent use of a 501(c)(3) charitable organization for political purposes.
By using a charitable organization for his political (initiative) purposes, Sizemore avoids contribution and expenditure reporting requirements. This is the same type of illegal act that got him in hot water in 2002, when a jury found that Sizemore had engaged in racketeering (fraudulently using a charitable organization to raise funds for political purposes).
The OEA claim is that Sizemore is in violation of a court (injunction) order against the Sizemore organizations preventing future violations and harm to the public, which occurs when ongoing criminal acts are committed through legitimate organizations and businesses.
That's an editorial view from the Argus, but The O's version that includes Sizemore's "the money fell from heaven for me to file these initiatives--but hey, not the big checks from ATR for updating their pissant website (which was inoperative as of last night--great job Bill!)" excuse is not much more illuminating. The bottom line is that this scourge on the political discourse shouldn't be allowed within 500 feet of the Secretary of State's office in order to file anything. That privilege is for people who follow the rules, like he can't seem to.
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Speaking of the money trail, the court proceedings have revealed some details about just how much Sizemore has gotten from his campaigns, mostly from Senor Love Daddy of the Desert, Loren Parks (pictured at right). The exceedingly wrinkled Parks is said to have pushed hundreds of thousands of dollars Sizemore's way...BEYOND what he was putting into the campaign coffers of Sizemore's iniatives. I don't have much more to say on Parks, but I don't think I've ever seen a picture of the creepy sex hypnotist who has such an outsized influence on Oregon politics, so I thought I'd treat everyone this Friday. (No, don't thank me! Part of the job). 