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A week ago, Kate Whitman's Congressional campaign sent out a prattling press release to announce that her "grassroots" fundraising effort had raised $230,000 in the first quarter of 2008. We won't know exactly what she means by "grassroots" until she actually files her Q1-08 report with the FEC, but her last filing report was dominated by a handful of aristocratic families, some of them willing to dance on the edges of campaign finance law.
So far, Kate Whitman's campaign has pulled in a combined $22,355 from the Hanson and Imperatore families alone. James Hanson is the President and CEO of Hampshire Real Estate Companies, a developer headquartered in Morristown. Five of the ten principals of the company come from one of these two families. They are also major donors to the Blair Academy, where the football field is named "Hampshire Field" after the company.
From these two families, 17 individuals contributed an average of $1,315 each to Kate Whitman's primary campaign. Whitman's filing report indicates that eight of them are employed non-students; of the rest, two are listed as homemakers (read: stay-at-home moms), and seven are students. The eight breadwinners could legally donate no more than $18,400 by themselves, but by spreading their contributions out among family members, including children, the two families were able to contribute an additional $3,955. While this isn't necessarily illegal, it does seem somewhat sleazy. It's effectively the aristocrat's version of wheeling, a practice where contractors exploit a loophole in campaign finance law by funneling money through one or two county party committees to the candidates they support.
The Hanson and Imperatore kids weren't the only ones who ponied up their summer incomes and allowances for Kate Whitman. One Christopher Merton of Pottersville donated $3,000 to the campaign-$2300 for the primary and $700 for the general. His 12/19 donation coincided with a similar $3,000 contribution from Juliana Merton, at the same mailing address in Pottersville. Another $4,600 came from Katrina Courter, daughter of former Congressman James Courter and his wife Carmen. Katrina is married to Taylor Whitman, who is Kate Whitman's brother, and is pursuing a masters in educational psychology at Fordham. In total, Kate Whitman raised $16,805 from just nine students in 2007.
Kate Whitman's campaign isn't grassroots. It's more like silver spoon.
The table below the fold shows donations from members of the Hanson, Imperatore, Merton, and Courter families to Kate Whitman's campaign. |
| Imperatore |
Name |
Date |
Occupation |
Amount |
Prim/Gen |
| Deborah |
12/19 |
The Hampshire Companies, executive |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Harold |
12/19 |
The Hampshire Companies, executive |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Alexander |
12/24 |
student (Maryland) |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Christopher |
12/24 |
student (Blair Academy) |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Jenna |
12/24 |
student (College of Charleston) |
$1315 |
Primary |
| |
| Hanson |
| Name |
Date |
Occupation |
Amount |
Prim/Gen |
| Jon |
12/19 |
The Hampshire Companies, chairman |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Barbara |
12/19 |
homemaker |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Karen |
12/19 |
homemaker |
$1315 |
Primary |
| James II |
12/19 |
The Hampshire Companies, real estate |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Jeffrey |
12/19 |
The Hampshire Companies, real estate |
$1330 |
Primary |
| Sarah |
12/19 |
store keeper |
$1300 |
Primary |
| Jon II |
12/24 |
Andean Lodges, travel guide |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Kristin |
12/24 |
The Hampshire Companies, executive |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Courtney |
12/24 |
student (Colorado) |
$1315 |
Primary |
| James III |
12/24 |
student |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Jeffrey Jr. |
12/24 |
student (Colgate) |
$1315 |
Primary |
| Kyle |
12/24 |
student (Blair Academy) |
$1315 |
Primary |
| |
| Merton |
| Name |
Date |
Occupation |
Amount |
Prim/Gen |
| Juliana |
12/19 |
self-emplyed |
$2300 |
Primary |
| Juliana |
12/19 |
self-emplyed |
$700 |
General |
| Christopher |
12/19 |
student |
$2300 |
Primary |
| Christopher |
12/19 |
student |
$700 |
General |
| |
| Courter |
| Name |
Date |
Occupation |
Amount |
Prim/Gen |
| James |
12/19 |
IDT Corp./CEO |
$2300 |
Primary |
| James |
12/19 |
IDT Corp./CEO |
$2300 |
General |
| Carmen |
12/19 |
homemaker |
$2300 |
Primary |
| Carmen |
12/19 |
homemaker |
$2300 |
General |
| Katrina |
12/19 |
student |
$2300 |
Primary |
| Katrina |
12/19 |
student |
$2300 |
General |
|
