A political fundraiser for State Senate Pro-Tem Marc Basnight (D-Dare) was advertised via a publicly funded e-mail list according to a news report. An invitation to the event was sent to the town of Kill Devil Hills e-mail list. Using the town e-mail list was unethical, but news reports suggest that the entire episode was a mistake. Per the story, a junior campaign staffer was asked to ensure that all of the local elected officials be made aware of the fundraiser. Town Clerk Mary Quidley, who appears to be a registered Democrat like Basnight, forwarded along the invitation to the public e-mail list “without giving it a world of thought.”
Even if it was a simple mistake that the e-mail was sent out, the Basnight Campaign has received at least some undue benefit from the e-mail in the way of name recognition or possible donations. Basnight typically dishes out funds to Democrats in close elections. On a cynical note, yet without suggesting impropriety, one might be led to believe that it was not an accident that the invitation was sent out via the public listserv. Given the recent record politicians in Raleigh (think Jim Black, Mike Easley, Meg Scott Phipps), the people can draw their own conclusions.
Excellent post. This is one of those little things that often fly under the radar, yet the big and the powerful get away with. Thanks to watchdog groups like yours, this has been happening less and less.
Thanks for clearly drawing the comnparison to other crooks (my words, not yours) like jailbirds Jim Black and Meg ScottPhipps, and soon-to-be inmate Sleezely.
God bless you all!