I highly recommend that you save the Keystone Review Blog to your bookmarks, or favorites, and visit it regularly. Here are two more entries that bear directly on why Operation Clean Sweep is still in business. Here Keystone Review editor/writer Lousi R. Petolicchio follows the money headed into the hands of Chip Brightbill, Republican Floor Leader in the Senate. Brightbill is thus the ‘enforcer’ when it comes to gathering votes on the floor.
Adventure$ With Chip: Show Me The Money Update!
By L. R. Petolicchio
Posted March 23, 2006
Updated March 31, 2006
Editor's Note: In a recent article by The Philadelphia Inquirer, it was revealed that lobbyist and former state legislator Stephen R. Wojdak has an interest in a gaming machine distributor seeking to do business in Pennsylvania; a review of campaign finance records found that self-described gaming opponent David J. "Chip" Brightbill received $4000 in 2005 from Wojdak, bringing the total amount of money Brightbill has received in the period of 2003-2005 from gaming interests or lobbyists whose clients include gaming interests to more than $56,000.
Following is a breakdown of financial contributions received by state Senator David J. "Chip" Brightbill between 2003 and 2005 either from gaming interests or lobbyists whose clients include gaming interests (i.e.: many of the lobbying firms have multiple clients, both gaming and non-gaming):
$2500 - April 1, 2004 - Wallace R. Barr, Executive head of Park Place-Caesar's Entertainment (link is for parkplace.com; the homepage for Harrah's will appear)
$1000 - August 26, 2004 - Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association
$1000 - August 25, 2005 - Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association
(while the PA chapter does not have it's own website, the national group includes them as an affiliate )
$723 - Sept. 30, 2003 - Pugliese Associates
$1000 - October 23, 2003 - Pugliese PAC
$1250 - March 15, 2005 - Pugliese PAC
$1264 - May 24, 2004 - Pugliese PAC
(Rocco Pugliese currently represents Pennsylvania Horsemen's Benevolent & Protective Association and Sands Pennsylvania; past clients included Multimedia Games and Pittsburgh Palisades Park, LLC)
$10,000 - March 15, 2005 - D & L Realty
(Dominck & Louis A DeNaples are reportedly business partners in at least three ventures - D & L Realty, Keystone Landfill, and DeNaples Auto Parts; Louis owns the Mount Airy Lodge, for which he has applied for a slots license)*
$1000 - August 26, 2004 - Bruce R. Hironimus
(Hironimus has been identified as both a lobbyist for the gambling interests as well as a gambling interest )
$500 - Sept. 26, 2003 - F. Joseph Loeper
$500 - Dec. 17, 2003 - F. Jospeh Loeper
$1000 - April 1, 2004 - F. Joseph Loeper
$1000 - March 30, 2005 - F. Joseph Loeper
$1000 - November 4, 2005 - F. Joseph Loeper
(Loeper, a former state Senator, was a lobbyist for Callowhill Center Associates in 2004 and 2005 and a lobbyist 100% Purses, Inc., dba Freedom Park and Chester Downs and Marina, LLC in 2003)
$3750 - Dec. 17, 2003 - Malady & Wooten Public Affairs, LLP
$1000 - Nov. 8, 2004 - Malady & Wooten Public Affairs, LLP
(Malady & Wooten are lobbyist for 100% Purses, Inc., dba Freedom Park,Chester Downs and Marina, LLC, and Resorts USA)
$750 - April 21, 2003 - Kevin M. Pasquay
(Pasquay is a lobbyist for Ameristar Casinos, Inc.)
$250 - Sept. 23, 2003 - Greenlee Partners State PAC
$2011 - Dec. 7, 2003 - Greenlee Partners State PAC
$750 - May 19, 2004 - Greenlee Partners State PAC
$1850 - August 26, 2004 - Greenlee Partners State PAC
$1500 - May 4, 2005 - Greenlee Partners State PAC
$1000 - August 25, 2005 - Greenlee Partners State PAC
(Greenlee Partners lobbyist for Harrah's Entertainment, MTR Gaming, Chance Enterprises, Standing Stone Gaming and Scientific Games Int'l.)
[Note, Greenlee Partners is also the source of ‘Harrisburg Online’]
Read the rest at: Adventure$ with Chip: Show Me The Money Update!
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Still another entry, even later:
Adventure$ With Chip: Thousands From Convicted Felon, Slots?
By L. R. Petolicchio
Posted March 23, 2006
The 20-minute long DVD which was distributed to the Republican committee people during the past few months seemed to make the case pretty clearly: Pennsylvania State Senator David J. "Chip" Brightbill was a man of unquestionable moral values and was opposed to the slots legislation.
There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it: he was opposed to and would vote against expanded gambling in Pennsylvania.
Never mind the fact that as the powerful Senate Majority Leader (grand poobah of the Republican majority in the state Senate) he did nothing to push, prod or threaten pro-slots Republicans into opposing the gambling bill. Never mind the fact that as chairman of the Senate Rules Committee (which determines which bills ever see the light of day) he remained silent while the slots bill was brought to the floor for a vote.
The Chipster was opposed to expanded gambling in the Keystone State; end of discussion.
One would have thought, after watching this video, that the ol' Chipster was pure as the wind driven snow, and that not only he but his entire campaign operation were so squeaky clean you could use his expense account sheets as dinner plates.
Well, before you chuck the Royal Dalton, and if you're an opponent of the slots legislation and were convinced that "Chip$" Brightbill was as innocent as a newborn babe, you better sit down; we've got some bad news for you.
Simply put, after a cursory review was made of Brightbill's campaign finance report and a cross check was run on his donors, it was discovered that not only had he received tens of thousands of dollars from gambling interests and lobbyists for gaming interests but one of those contributions came from a source associated with a convicted felon who is seeking a slots license!
According to his own campaign finance reports between 2003 and 2005, Brightbill received in excess of $50,000 either directly from gaming or gaming related organizations and/or lobbyists whose clients included gaming interests - including a $10,000 contribution in 2005 from D & L Realty. D & L Realty is owned by brothers Dominick & Louis A. DeNaples, and Louis DeNaples is an applicant for a slots license for the Mount Airy Lodge, which he purchased in 2004 for the purpose of turning it into a slots parlor.
Louis DeNaples is also a convicted felon with alleged ties to organized crime.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer of January 4, 2005, DeNaples received a federal felony conviction for fraud in 1978, and DeNaples has been referenced in multiple Pennsylvania Crime Commission reports since the 1980's.
Read the rest of the article at: Adventure$ With Chip: Thousands From Convicted Felon, Slots?
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You know friends, the interesting thing in all of this is that Brightbill and the rest go so far out of their way to portray themselves as anti-gambling good-guys. If that is the case, then why do we have gambling coming to Pennsylvania? Indeed, why are they ALL taking money from the gambling interests?
If gambling is supposed to be so good, and healthy, and to cure the social and fiscal ills of Pennsylvania, why are all these legislators hiding it under a cloak of secrecy?
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Finally, we note with disgust the appearance of still another patently dishonest (read: lying) advertisement in the Hanover Sun – the space sold to Chance Enterprises who now make the wild and totally dishonest claim of $16 million to local government. Now, as written, and still unamended, neither Act 71 (The Pennsylvania Gambling Act) nor Act 72 (The Homestead Tax Relief Act) have anything in them that guarantee any amount of money locally above and beyond the roughly $450,000 that would go to Straban Township.
In the same ad, we note, they have reduced their claim of 4,000 jobs to 3,000 (our previous argument still stands: there are not enough people in the area to fill 3,000 jobs), and 1,100 construction jobs. We remind those gullible enough to believe anything Chance Enterprises puts out that those construction jobs were promised to unionized workers, who basically do not exist in the area, and so would come in temporarily for the life of the job, and then leave, taking their incomes with them.
False and misleading advertising. Does the Hanover Sun have no standards? Must it rely on the FTC to enforce the rules regarding truth in advertising?
This is very disappointing to see the Hanover Sun become complicit in the scamming of the Adams County populace.
THE CENTRIST
“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST
"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein
Copyright © 2006: “THE CENTRIST”. All Rights Reserved.
In the same ad, we note, they have reduced their claim of 4,000 jobs to 3,000 (our previous argument still stands: there are not enough people in the area to fill 3,000 jobs), and 1,100 construction jobs. We remind those gullible enough to believe anything Chance Enterprises puts out that those construction jobs were promised to unionized workers, who basically do not exist in the area, and so would come in temporarily for the life of the job, and then leave, taking their incomes with them.
False and misleading advertising. Does the Hanover Sun have no standards? Must it rely on the FTC to enforce the rules regarding truth in advertising?
This is very disappointing to see the Hanover Sun become complicit in the scamming of the Adams County populace.
THE CENTRIST
“Kick the hubris out of Harrisburg!” -- THE CENTRIST
"It is the duty of every citizen according to his best capacities to give validity to his convictions in political affairs." -- Albert Einstein
Copyright © 2006: “THE CENTRIST”. All Rights Reserved.
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