News Rossi Resigns from Non-Profit
posted by on September 26 at 7:58 AM
Yesterday, The Spokesman-Review blog broke the story that Dino Rossi resigned as president of his controversial non-profit, Forward Washington.
FW was controversial because it appeared to be nothing more than a front group for Rossi’s pending run for Governor. “Nothing more than a front group” because FW raised money in undisclosed amounts from undisclosed donors to pay Rossi to go around the state delivering the same message he delivered during his 2004 campaign. The Democrats filed a complaint about FW with the Public Disclosure Commission. The PDC is currently conducting an investigation.
I didn’t see the story until late yesterday because I was busy getting today’s paper out, but Postman has already done some great reporting on it at his blog—getting some quotes from Rossi that add fuel to the fire over FW’s status.
Some Stranger and Slog coverage of Rossi and FW: here, here, here, and here.
And here’s the Democrats’ complaint.
The Democrats’ spokesman Kelly Steele issued this aggro statement on the news yesterday afternoon:
Once again, Dino Rossi believes the rules don’t apply to him. He has spent months illegally campaigning with his sleazy front group, and now he’s blaming others because he got caught.
So he quit the non-profit so he could run for Gov? Doesn't that kinda seal it that it WAS nothing but a campaign money raising org?
Dino quit as President but got a fat severence payment that will equal or exceed what the fake foudation would have paid him till year end anyway.
The Slog and Josh spacifically have done a good job covering this latest scam of Mr. Rossi's. What most folks do not grasp is just how out of bounds Dino's game is.
Postman likens the foundation to a presidential exploritory committee but does not make clear that raising undesclosed funds often in excess of the legal limits from individual contributers is illegal. In our state, an exploritory committee for the office of governor constitutes a campaign if funds are raised and is subject to our PDC reporting requirments and contributer limits.
And don't forget his Safeco "bonus" shares that vested.
When other countries do this, we call them "bribes".
I suppose this sort of thing is why so many race fans want a single tire rule: If all the teams ran the same tires, then it would be all about the bike and the skill of the rider. It would certainly cut costs.
Rossi would by far be the main beneficiary of any rule change that levels the playing field, that's for sure. The time he's spending now on the track preparing next year's new Yamaha is going to make him all the more of a threat.
Rossi stiffed popcultureicon on a pizza delivery EVEN THOUGH HE PAID BY CHECK. screw that guy.
WAIT A MINUTE!!! i thought stories couldn't "break" on blogs because blogs aren't considered real... make up your mind, josh!
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