Funding source unclear for PAC with A-Team ties
'Citizens for Change' donated billboard space, lawn signs to candidates
A political action committee [PAC] with ties to the A-Team city council candidates has failed to disclose how it obtained $7,000 in a report filed with the state Election Law Enforcement Commission [ELEC].
The PAC, Citizens for Change, filed its first quarterly receipts and expenditures report on April 15. The report states that from Jan. 1 through March 31, the PAC received $7,050, and spent $7,043.70, leaving $6.30 in the account.
The group reports having received four contributions. Treasurer Darryl Hammary made the first contribution of $50 on Feb. 19, the report states.
On March 21, the PAC received $2,500. A contributor is not listed. Instead, “Information to Follow” is hand-written in the space for the contributor’s information. On March 25, contributions of $2,500 and $2,000 are listed, with “Information to Follow” again hand-written where the contributor’s name should be.
ELEC rules state that any contribution totaling more than $300 must be reported, along with the name and mailing address of the contributor, as well as the date the contribution was received, on a PAC finance report. The March 21 and March 25 contributions list only the date and amount contributed.
The PAC’s expenditures consist of GOTV [Get Out the Vote] payments to Byron Hall in the amount of $200; Diteko Hammary in the amount of $900; Louis Dilieto in the amount of $200; Ernest Jones in the amount of $100; Tyson Burrus in the amount of $60; Jones again in the amount of $40; Dilieto again in the amount of $300; and Shatina Miller in the amount of $100.
All but one of those GOTV expenditures are listed as having been made with a “bank card.” ELEC regulations dictate that payments to GOTV workers must be made via check. One payment of $900 was made by check to Diteko Hammary.
Hall, Diteko Hammary, Dilieto, Jones, Burrus and Miller were all listed as ballot messengers in information from the county election offices. The city saw an explosion in the number of messenger ballot requests this election year, with 336 having been requested. The Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office is now investigating the handling of messenger ballots after allegations of misconduct.
The PAC also spent $1,450 for printing shirts at Allshore Printing, the Avon company that employs A-Team candidate Jim Keady. Keady said today that expense was related to T-shirts that were printed for a celebration of President Barack Obama’s inauguration held at the school district-owned Barack Obama Building in February.
Citizens for Change also spent $335.70 for printing at Staples in Ocean Township; $1,000 for lawn signs at McLain Studios in Asbury Park; $2,200 for billboards from CBS Billboards in Fairfield; and $150 for printing from Vincent Printing.
Some of the A-Team’s campaign material, such as the lawn sign pictured above and a billboard on Memorial Drive, bears the statement, “Paid for by Citizens for Change on behalf of A-Team.” The A-Team candidates are Keady, Nora Hyland, Duanne Small, Daniel Harris and Remond Palmer.
Keady said today he was not involved with the inauguration T-shirt order from his place of employment, and that a co-worker handled that order.
Citizens for Change is operating independently from the A-Team campaign, Keady said. He said he does not know how the group obtains its funding.
The A-Team contacted the state ELEC office with “questions about the cross-pollenation between PACs and committees,” he said. “Everything has been done under the direction that we got from the ELEC office.”
Hyland is the A-Team’s designated treasurer in addition to being a candidate. The A-Team may accept in-kind contributions from a PAC as long as the value of the contributions does not exceed $8,200, she said. The in-kind contributions from Citizens for Change will be listed on the group’s next finance report filed with ELEC, she said.
Hyland also said she was unsure how Citizens for Change obtains its funding.
The report lists Sherrice Lyles as chairperson and Darryl Hammary as treasurer. Both Lyles and Hammary are listed as living in Asbury Park.
Lyles has not yet responded to calls for comment.
The Asbury Park Sun called the phone number listed for Darryl Hammary on the report. A man answered the phone. After being informed of who was calling, he said, “You have the wrong number,” and hung up. Follow-up calls were not answered.
Citizens for Change filed its most recent registration statement on April 12. In the statement, the PAC says its objective is “supporting candidates in state of New Jersey.”
No New Jersey candidate or officeholder has established or authorized the establishment of, maintained or participated directly or indirectly in the management or control of this continuing PAC or will in the future, the April 12 document affirms.
Hammary and Lyles, who signed the document, estimated that the PAC would raise $6,000 this year and $9,000 next year, and also estimated that the PAC would use those amounts each year.
On an earlier document, dated Feb. 5, Lyles and Hammary estimated the PAC would raise $40,000 this year and next year, and spend that same amount. They also on that document estimated they would spend 80 percent of funds on campaign contributions and 20 percent on charitable donations.
They disclosed in the April 12 document that the PAC would be making contributions to New Jersey candidates or committees, or otherwise engaging in New Jersey election-related activity as a major purpose of the committee.
They also stated they would be making charitable donations, as well as “sponsorship” and miscellaneous expenditures.
Hammary and Lyles estimated about 20 percent of proceeds would be raised outside New Jersey for election-related activity. Also, they acknowledged the PAC would solicit the contributions with the stated or principal purpose of making contributions to New Jersey candidate committees, and that they would not file with the Federal Election Commission.
Diteko Hammary and Darryl Hammary are listed as chair person and treasurer, respectively, for another PAC called Asbury Now. ELEC received a sworn statement establishing the committee on April 15. Diteko Hammary and Darryl Hammary certified in signing the statement that the PAC would not raise more than $5,500 this year.
PACs do not have to file receipt and expenditure reports unless they raise more than $5,500 in a calendar year.
Campaign managers of opposing tickets said they do not know of any similar PACs operating in support of their candidates. The Sun spoke to Jocelyn Toledo of Forward Asbury Park, Stephania Warren of AP Out Front and Meredith DeMarco of One Asbury, and each said she was unaware of such groups.
————————————————————
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook and Twitter.
