Taxpayers foot $20,770 bill for mail-out
Taxpayers foot $20,770 bill for mail-out
By MICHAEL D. BATES | Hernando Today
Published: April 22, 2010
This past week, U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite mailed out a four-page color brochure to some of her constituents that cost taxpayers $20,770.
Brown-Waite, R-Spring Hill, used her franking privilege to do so, which means she used her signature in lieu of postage.
The mailing has prompted angry outbursts from two of her Congressional challengers, who said it is wrong to use taxpayer money for what they call thinly veiled campaign literature. Brown-Waite said she is merely keeping her constituents informed.
But Republican Jason Sager also believes the brochure's frequent references to Thomas Jefferson and the U.S. Constitution are not-so-subtle attempts to woo voters from his Tea Party movement.
Sager calls himself a Jeffersonian Republican who espouses a return to traditional values set forth by the framers of the Constitution.
Sager rushed out a press release on his website disputing the brochure's content and cost.
"I have been getting e-mails and letters from constituents since this started hitting mailboxes," Sager said. "They are all equally upset with the distortions of the content and the fact that it was sent out at taxpayers' expense."
In particular Sager said he takes issue with Brown-Waite's claim in the brochure that the fourth-term Republican seeking re-election to Florida's 5th District is committed to fiscal responsibility.
"Do you want to know what the supreme irony is?" Sager asked. "She claims to be fiscally responsible and then on the front of the brochure it says this mailing was prepared, published and mailed at taxpayer expense."
Cassie Smedile, Brown-Waite's spokeswoman, said 20,000 of the mailings were sent out and verified the cost at $20,770. They were sent to constituents who contacted Brown-Waite on issues that were addressed in the mailer, she said.
The 5th District has more than 830,000 people and encompasses Hernando, Citrus and Sumter counties and parts of Lake, Levy, Marion, Pasco and Polk counties.
Brown-Waite, in a prepared e-mail response, said her mailings are approved by a bi-partisan, Democrat-run House administration committee and go through "rigorous editing" before ending up in a constituent's mailbox.
"Some members choose to spend their budgets on lavish trips," Brown-Waite wrote. "I have never been one of them. I choose instead to correspond with my constituents. I respond to every piece of mail I receive and I do so in an average of less than two weeks.
"I have the most engaged constituency of any member of Congress," her e-mail continued. "In this mail piece I asked for my constituents to send me their thoughts on current issues so that I can best represent them. They let me hear from them and expect to hear from me in return — That's my job and I'm honored to do it."
During the course of two days, Hernando Today made repeated attempts to call Brown-Waite to elaborate on her comments but she did not return phone calls.
Her Democrat opponent, Jim Piccillo, said the brochure purports to be informational but is nothing more than campaign literature.
"It's a blatant waste of taxpayer money," he said. "When she wants to snuff out waste, fraud and abuse, she should look into the mirror first."
The mailing bears the famous, "We the People" preamble to the Constitution and bears the name of Thomas Jefferson.
It includes an update from Brown-Waite, saying that Washington "has failed the American people during a time of great need" and invites people to fill out an attached survey and subscribe to e-mail updates on her website.
There is also a page highlighting her voting record on such hot-button issues as cap and trade and the $787 billion stimulus — she voted no on both.
Piccillo said she could have done the survey on her Congressional website for free.
Piccillo, who said he did not receive the mailer, said Brown-Waite was selective in sending out these "surveys" so she gets the response she wants.
"This way, only the people who send them back, usually her core voters on the radical right, are the ones that send them back and she'll get the answer she wanted instead of an e-mail poll where she has to spin the answer," Piccillo said.
Frankly speaking
Brown-Waite is one of the largest users of franked mail, which allows Congressional lawmakers to send out official mail by using their signature in lieu of a stamp. But they cannot do so 90 days before their name appears on the ballot.
From Oct. 1, 2009, to Jan. 2, 2010, her total cost of mass mailings and communications was $132,233, according to the U.S. House statement of disbursements. During that period, her office had 383,285 distributions, according to the federal record.
Congressional analyst Matthew Glassman, in a 2007 report to Congress, said the franking privilege may only be used for matters of public concern or public service.
It may not be used to solicit votes or contributions, to send mail regarding political campaigns or political parties or to mail autobiographical or holiday greeting materials, Glassman wrote in his report.
In the House, the franked mail postage allowance is based on the number of addresses in each member's district.
Each representative's mail allowance is combined with allowances for office staff and official office expenses to form a Member's Representational Allowance (MRA), he said. Members may spend any portion of their MRA on franked mail, subject to law and House regulations.
Glassman said House members are not restricted as to the total amount they may spend on mass mailings.
Brown-Waite's MRA portion for 2009 was $1.53 million, according to federal records.
Reporter Michael D. Bates can be reached at 352-544-5290 or mbates@hernandotoday.com.
