repubgazette7-17-07ungerlatefechillaryemailmojobored

Democrat congressional candidate John Unger failed to file a required second quarter fundraising report with the Federal Elections Commission on time, missing the July 15 deadline. The report finally showed up online late Monday evening, dated July 16.

The July 15 deadline is firm, even when it falls on a Sunday, because congressional candidates are required to file electronically, earlier if necessary. When it did finally show up, it reported that Unger has raised just under $27,000.

Meanwhile, incumbent Shelley Moore Capito had an impressive second quarter, filing a report showing nearly a quarter of a million dollars raised from April through June.

The state Senator from Martinsburg has had difficulty with forms, considering it was recently revealed that Unger failed to properly report his $88,000 income from EG&G on his annual financial disclosure form with the state ethics commission.

Other reports filed over the weekend show Congressman Alan Mollohan with about $96,000 cash on hand but $250,000 in debts. Congressman Nick Joe Rahall, as usual, has more than a million dollars in the bank.

Among the 23 donors listed on Unger's report, only 11 were from West Virginia. Among his largest donors were Gordon Arbuckle of Colorado, Kevin Halligen of Washington D.C., Sherri Pennington of Martinsburg, and Stjepan Sostaric of Washington D.C. Congressman Rahm Emanuel gave Unger $2,000 from his campaign account, as did Rahall. Unger's biggest contribution came from Ameripac, which forked over $5,000.

The Unger for Congress committee lists its address as a post office box in Charleston. Its treasurer is Kimberly Anne Sencindiver.

Unger's congressional campaign is off to a rocky start, with the candidate offering vague answers about his employment and misleading answers on the state ethics form, his dismissal from WEPM, and now his failure to meet the FEC deadline for filing his campaign finance report, and an amended report likely to follow.

Unger reported no expenditures during the quarter, which is unusual. Candidates usually at least file expenditures for phones, gas, meals or other amenities. Odds are that Unger rushed his report to the FEC and will likely file an amended report later. He either has expenses, or inkind contributions to report.

The head of West Virginia's Small Business Development Center apparently used official state email to solicit money for Hillary Clinton's West Virginia visit scheduled for July 27, according to a usually reliable source who shared the email with the Republican Gazette.

The email from "M.E. Gamble" appears to be from her official wvsbdc.org email account and was apparently sent to hundreds of recipients. It appears to forward an email from Renee Lohman of The Lohman Group/Mountain Medical hospital in Hardy County, where, according to the email, Hillary is expected to appear on the same day as her Charleston visit.

The email reads in part, "Hillary Clinton will come to Hardy County Friday, July 27 to participate in the dedication of Mountain Medical to be followed by a fundraiser in her honor at the Guest House in Lost River." (The "Guest House" appears to have an interesting story of its own.)

The email, if legitimate, says the cost of the fundraiser is $500 per person, and asks for checks to be sent to The Lohman Group. There is a contribution form attached instructing checks to be made out to "Hillary Clinton for President," but there is no required disclaimer on the email.

M.E. Gamble is apparently Mary Elizabeth "M.E." Yancosek Gamble, who was just named director of WVSBDC earlier this year. The WVSBDC is a division of the West Virginia Development Office.

The $500 per person price tag is a bargain compared to Hillary's Charleston appearance, where organizers are asking the maximum $2300 contribution.

or when it was taken, but I am obviously bored out of my skull. It could be I was listening to some Republicans complain about one of my bills, like they could do something about it. It could be I was at a meeting of the Democrat caucus, suffering through another question and answer session about why they have to get my permission to do or say anything. Or, that picture might have been taken when I was sitting in a room all alone, thinking about the view from the Senate Hart Building in Washington. Who knows? But when it gets to be about 10 or 11 in the morning and I'm already exhausted from the many menial duties I have to perform as governor, I often start to daydream. Sometimes, in my mind, I pretend that instead of sitting in some boring old meeting that means nothing because I'm going to do exactly what I want to do anyway, I'm speeding down the Kanawha River in my yacht. Sometimes I think about how I wish I was flying high over the Capitol at the controls of my state airplane. I often imagine myself zooming down Kanawha Boulevard on my motorcycle with the breeze rushing through my perfectly styled hair. Once in a while, I daydream about my exciting turkey hunt, but I always have to go back and re-read my press release to be sure about all the details. Mostly, though, I count the minutes. I count the minutes until I can do something else besides what I am already doing, because I have conquered this governor thing to the point that everyone agrees my reelection is assured, even seventeen months away from Election Day. Between you and me, being governor for another five and a half years is just about the most excruciatingly boring thing I can think of. But I can't figure a way out of it. Just my luck that Byrd was born with the genes of an Old Testament patriarch. You know who the oldest man in the Bible was? Methuselah. He lived to be 969 years old. Sometimes, I swear to God, I think Byrd will break that record, too. So here I am, stuck with being governor of West Virginia, or, as the other states call it, Good Old Number 50. Sorry I'm such a downer today. Check back tomorrow, I'll be back to my old self. Just gotta thumb through some more old press releases. Cheers me right up every time.