Posts tagged ‘Campaign Finance Law’
Another Day, Another Law Broken By Olsen?!
Unless you have been living under a rock, you are no doubt already aware of the lawsuit filed this past Friday by Stafford County resident David Johnston challenging Eric “Law & Order” Olsen’s qualification to be on the ballot as a candidate for the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney for Stafford County. The challenge is based on the assertion that Olsen has never established residency in Stafford County.
Yesterday, we wrote about a new wrinkle in the residency challenge. LeavingMyMarc.com first reported that Eric Olsen was registered to vote at 133 Onville Road in Stafford County (at least as of September). This is despite the fact that he has never lived there. As recently as Saturday in the Free-Lance Star, Olsen still maintained that he legally resided at his illegal garage apartment off Poplar Road:
Olsen said the Fredericksburg home is for sale. His wife and their children live in the city home while Olsen is renting an apartment in a home on Poplar Road.
According to the Virginia State Board of Elections:
Under the Virginia Constitution, a prospective voter must be a resident of the precinct where he seeks to register. In order to establish “residency”, a prospective voter must show that (1) he has an actual physical place of abode in the precinct, and (2) he is domiciled there.
He is clearly not domiciled at 133 Onville Road, nor has ever been domiciled there. He has repeatedly claimed to be living at 1257 B Poplar Road in a purported “illegal” garage apartment.
We still maintain that he has never abandoned his domicile in the city of Fredericksburg, despite where he claims to be living right now, and believe that Olsen is not a legal resident of Stafford County; thus, he is not able to run for the Commonwealth’s Attorney position in Stafford County.
Putting all of this aside for a moment, Olsen now claims on his website that his campaign headquarters is now located at 133 Onville Road, Stafford, VA 22556. James and Karen Moncure currently own this home. So what’s the problem? The problem is that none of Olsen’s campaign finance disclosure reports show any expenditure to the Moncure’s for rent. His reports also do not show any sort of In-kind contribution from the Moncure’s for the headquarters. So what is Olsen trying to hide? And, so we have another example of what appears to be him breaking the law!
The reality is that the Moncure’s could sure use some money from Olsen, so they can pay off the taxes that they owe. According to the Treasurer’s Office, they owe $624.23 (which includes interest) in outstanding taxes on this property.
So exactly who are James and Karen Moncure? They’re relatives of Daniel Chichester. Chichester is pulling out all the stops and calling in all of his family connections to ensure that his handpicked successor wins.
For the past 72 years, Chichester and his dad have run the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. He will stop at nothing to make sure that that his family legacy lives on through Olsen, even if that means helping him to cheat the system in an effort to establish residency in Stafford County.
If this was anyone else pulling this sort of stuff, you could rest assured that Chichester and Olsen would be throwing the book at them. You see there are those with family connections that are “above the law” and there is everyone else. In Stafford County, we call this the good ‘ol boy network.
Is it too much to expect that someone running for Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney, to become the chief law enforcement officer, should be held to the highest of standards? This continued skirting of the law by Olsen raises serious questions on his integrity and trustworthiness (i.e. “Law & Order”-gate, illegal campaign donation from a foreign national, his residency and not reporting his campaign HQs on his campaign finance reports). Olsen should be held to, at least, the same standard as he holds others – which are exceptionally high.
It’s time to put an end to the 72-year-old dynasty and vote for an individual who holds himself to the very highest ethical standards and is respected amongst all citizens, regardless of party, as being fair and having the best interests of the community at heart. That’s why we will be supporting Independent candidate Tim Barbrow for Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney on November 8. The choice couldn’t be any clearer!
Where’s Eric? Help Us Find Where He Lives, It’s Fun.
On Friday, we first reported the fact that Eric “Law & Order” Olsen’s string of thumbing his nose at the law had run out.
Stafford County resident David Johnson formally filed a Petition for a Writ of Quo Warranto pursuant to §8.01-636(A)(4) and §8.01-637 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, to challenge the qualification of Eric L. Olsen to be on the ballot as a candidate for the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney for Stafford County.
Let’s play a fun game of Where’s Eric?
According to Olsen’s Certificate of Candidate Qualification, he swore under oath that he resided at 1257 B Poplar Road. Johnston’s filing also indicated that
- there is no such address on record in Stafford County;
- 1257 Poplar Road is zoned for one residential home;
- zoning ordinances don’t allow for a second address on a residential parcel zoned for one residence; and,
- there has been no occupancy permits issued by Stafford County for a second dwelling.
Also according to the filing, the facts suggest that Olsen never intended to abandon his residence in the City of Fredericksburg and establish a new domicile in Stafford County. The filing contends that
- Olsen’s family did not accompany him in his alleged move to Stafford County;
- his teenage minor child remained in Fredericksburg City Public Schools;
- the garage apartment that he was staying in on Poplar Road isn’t one recognized by Stafford County;
- he used the Post Office Box for the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney as his mailing address on his Statement of Candidate Qualifications;
- his home is for Sale by Owner, but it’s selling price is listed way above fair market value; and,
- he continues to use his home in the City of Fredericksburg as his principal place of abode and dwelling.
So where does Eric really live? On a quick side note, is it it even legal to use a county office address as a mailing address for political purposes? Who cares, it’s not like he hasn’t broken the law before (see foreign national donation and his trademark infringement).
Now a new twist for everyone…based on what I’ve been able to piece together from multiple sources last night, Eric Olsen is registered to vote at 133 Onville Road in Stafford County (at least as of September). He now lists this address as his campaign headquarters. A photo of this property doesn’t show a single Olsen campaign sign – some headquarters. From what we can tell and what we’ve been told it looks all but abandoned.
All media reports have indicated that he contends to have been living in the purported illegal garage apartment since March. As recently as Saturday in the Free-Lance Star, Olsen had the following to say about his living situation:
Olsen said the Fredericksburg home is for sale. His wife and their children live in the city home while Olsen is renting an apartment in a home on Poplar Road.
How in the world can Olsen be registered to vote at 133 Onville Road, if he lives at 1257 B Poplar Road? According the Virginia State Board of Elections:
Under the Virginia Constitution, a prospective voter must be a resident of the precinct where he seeks to register. In order to establish “residency”, a prospective voter must show that (1) he has an actual physical place of abode in the precinct, and (2) he is domiciled there.
He is clearly not domiciled at 133 Onville Road, based on reports, and has never been domiciled there. Is this another example of Eric breaking the law?
Stafford voters want to know, where do you live Eric? Are you living in your family home in the City of Fredericksburg, the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office, the purported illegal garage apartment off Poplar Road or your abandoned campaign office off Onville Road?
Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
Eric Olsen, You Got Served!
It looks like Eric “Law & Order” Olsen’s string of thumbing his nose at the law has finally caught up with him.
Stafford County resident David Johnston has formally filed a Petition for a Writ of Quo Warranto pursuant to §8.01-636(A)(4) and §8.01-637 of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended, to challenge the qualification of Eric L. Olsen to be on the ballot as a candidate for the Office of Commonwealth’s Attorney for Stafford County.
The press and supporters of his republican primary opponent first raised the question on Olsen’s residency back in July. Press reports, at the time, reported that he had moved out of his house in the City of Fredericksburg and into a garage apartment off Poplar Road in Stafford – while his wife and son remained at the family home in the city.
According to Johnston’s filing today, the garage apartment wasn’t even a valid residence:
(13) On defendant Olsen’s Certificate of Candidate Qualification, Olsen swore under oath that he resided at 1257B Poplar Road, Stafford, VA 22556.
(14) Upon information and belief, the residence otherwise known as and located at 1257 Poplar Road is zoned for one (1) residential home.
(15) Upon information and belief, the zoning ordinance(s) of Stafford County does not allow for a second address on a residential parcel zoned for one residence.
(16) Upon information and belief, there were no occupancy permits issued by Stafford County for a second dwelling at 1257 Poplar Road.
(17) Upon information and belief, there is no address on record in Stafford County known as “1257B Poplar Road.”
(18) Upon information and belief, defendant Olsen purportedly moved into a garage located on the same property as the residence located at 1257 Poplar Road without the requisite or corresponding intent to abandon his usual place of abode and residence in the City of Fredericksburg and without the requisite or corresponding intent to permanently or indefinitely reside at that location on Poplar Road.
Additionally, according to the filing, Olsen “gave as his Post Office address on the Statement of Candidate Qualifications the mailing address of the Office of Commonwealth Attorney in Stafford County which is P.O. Box 66, Stafford, Virginia 22556.” Wowsers!
The illegal apartment notwithstanding, it’s also clear from the filing that Olsen has no intention in abandoning his long established domicile in the City of Fredericksburg until after the results of the election are clear.
To show just how serious he is about selling his home, according to the filing, it is currently for sale by owner and listed well in excess of its fair market value. He clearly doesn’t want to sell it until he sees if he wins. I’d hedge my bets if I were him too. After all in 2008, he ran for Fredericksburg Commonwealth’s Attorney and lost in a three-way race – finishing dead last.
According to the filing, the facts are clear in this case that Olsen never intended to abandon his residence in the City of Fredericksburg and establish a new domicile in Stafford County:
(24) There are substantial facts and attendant circumstances present in the instant case which show that candidate Olsen never intended to abandon his residence in the City of Fredericksburg and establish a new domicile in Stafford County, including, but not limited to, the following:
(a) Defendant Olsen’s family did not accompany him in his alleged move to Stafford County; and,
(b) Mr. Olsen’s teenage minor child remained in the Fredericksburg City Public Schools during all relevant times addressed herein, including at the present time of the filing of this petition; and,
(c) Mr. Olsen purportedly was staying above a garage that was not zoned for occupancy and the address given by candidate Olsen on his Statement of Qualifications was not an address recognized by Stafford County; and,
(d) That candidate Olsen used as his mailing address the Post Office Box for the Office of the Commonwealth Attorney; and,
(e) Mr. Olsen listed his home as for Sale by Owner, but listed the home at a selling price that upon information and belief was far in excess of its fair market value; and,
(f) Upon information and belief, Mr. Olsen frequently did not stay in said garage at 1257 Poplar Road during the relevant period of time, but instead continued to use his home in the City of Fredericksburg as his principal place of abode and dwelling, in company of his wife and teenage son.
I’m sure that Olsen never knew that he actually has to live in Stafford County to run for office in Stafford County. Just like he never knew that he couldn’t infringe on a well-known trademark or that he couldn’t accept campaign contributions from foreign nationals. You’d think that someone running for Commonwealth’s Attorney would pay particular attention to the law and not continuously run afoul of it?!
Given the facts of this case, things are not looking too good for Olsen’s candidacy. On the bright side, he has four whole years to establish permanent residency in Spotsylvania County. As the old adage goes, “If at first [or second] you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.”
You can read the full petition here.
Did Stafford County Supervisor Paul Milde Break the Law?
I was recently made aware of some footage of Stafford County Supervisor Paul Milde (R-Aquia) at a 2009 fundraiser at Hope Springs Marina in Stafford, VA. In the video, Milde spent quite a bit of time thanking everyone for their help in planning this fundraiser.
Of particular note, Milde thanks Jimmy Franklin for the food and accommodations that he provided for this fundraiser. Jimmy owns the Hope Springs Marina. He also thanked Skip and Cindi Causey for their donation of wine. Skip and Cindi own the Potomac Point Vineyard and Winery, also in Stafford County. Lastly, he thanked a person by the name of John for DJ Services that he provided and even suggests that attendees at his fundraiser grab one of his cards.
So how did Milde potentially break the law? I’ve poured through his Campaign Finance Reports from 2009 and was unable to find any in-kind contributions for the marina, food, wine or DJ services. Surely, based on the size of the crowd, each of these donations were above $100.
According to the Campaign Finance Disclosure Act of 2006, Milde was required to report such in-kind campaign contributions. By not reporting such contributions, Milde could be subject to a civil penalty.
I’ve long heard rumors of these sort of violations of campaign law by him; however, I’ve never seen any hard proof. To me, the video clearly shows Milde thanking folks for various in-kind contributions made to him – none of which appears on any of his campaign finance reports (you can see the full video here). Given Milde’s experience running for office, he certainly must understand what is required of him. One can only wonder what else he may be hiding?
Milde is certainly no stranger to the law. In 1986, Milde was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and sentenced to six years in prison, five of which were suspended. In 1995, he also plead guilty to attempted burglary as an accessory after the fact in Fairfax County.
Just last year the Free Lance-Star also reported that “tax records between 1993 and 2009 show that Milde and companies he owns or that bear his name have a history of delinquent county taxes and federal tax liens.” Perhaps most disturbing was the fact that while Milde served on the board (his first term), “[Stafford] county sent him at least 30 delinquent real-estate tax bills on Garrison Woods condominiums owned by McMillion and Milde L.L.C.” If that wasn’t enough, while on the board, his company Closet Interiors Plus “was subject to four federal tax liens.”
Given Milde’s checkered past, one has to wonder whether he willfully omitted the aforementioned in-kind contributions from his campaign finance reports? I have a feeling we are all about to find out real soon…
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