Fred Rost, 50, was a name the public rarely saw until it was revealed this year that he had commissioned and paid for a poll on Fort Wayne’s Harrison Square project – a poll used by Republican mayoral candidate Matt Kelty without revealing its source.
But the attention received then was nothing compared to when it was revealed that a $148,000 loan to Kelty’s campaign that Kelty originally reported as coming from himself had been financed by a $150,000 loan from Rost.Now, the Allen County Election Board is set to decide June 19 on whether the reporting of the loan violated campaign finance laws, and the board’s decision could lead to a criminal investigation.
Combined with more than $12,000 in cash and in-kind contributions, Rost was the source of more than six out of every 10 dollars Kelty’s campaign collected. Rost’s position as president of the Allen County Right to Life Committee only added to the debate.
Rost thought he was supporting a candidate as a private citizen. Now his name is in the news nearly every day.
“We’re also private citizens, … and here I’m sacrificing myself to the media to support a candidate,” Rost said. “I’m not quite sure I understand it all.” . . . .
The news of Rost being behind the bulk of Kelty’s campaign funds set off a host of chatter on political blogs across the state, with many on the left seeing some conspiracy between the secret funding, Rost’s position as board president for the Allen County Right to Life Committee, the group’s political action committee’s endorsement of Kelty and Kelty’s strong pro-life stance. Rost sees only a private citizen supporting a candidate.
“I don’t know what conspiracy there could be with a pro-family, pro-life group,” Rost said. “If I’m the nexus between that, not sure what they’re thinking. There’s no better cause than the pro-family, pro-life group.”
Rost is in his second term as board president at Allen County Right to Life, and executive director Cathie Humbarger said Rost has never displayed anything other than uprightness. Ursula Rost is also a Right to Life board member.
“Fred is a man of integrity and honesty, and it’s a privilege to work with him,” Humbarger said.
“Ursula is also committed to the cause, and I have nothing but the highest regard for both of them as individuals and as a couple.”
“He is a remarkably good, he is a great American,” Kelty said. “He has proven himself to me to be trustworthy, encouraging, and reliable.”
As Stockman's story notes, Rost is an executive with a major defense contractor, Sierra Nevada. What he doesn't mention is that a federal investigation is underway into consulting fees that the company funnelled to Dawn Gibbons, the wife of Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons, according to a Wall Street Journal report earlier this year. Gov. Gibbons was a congressman at the time his wife was a paid consultant for the company and he was assisting it in obtaining a no-bid contract from the Defense Department.
Rost appears to be whining about the attention that has been focused on him. “We’re also private citizens, … and here I’m sacrificing myself to the media to support a candidate,” Rost said to Stockman. “I’m not quite sure I understand it all.” If Rost wants to bankroll a candidate for public office, he should understand he's going to be scrutinized. In this case, his and Kelty's initial decision to hide the extent of his financial support has only heightened that scrutiny. It's hard to empathize with Rost under these circumstances.
Allen Co. Republicans would be wise to dump Kelty before it's too late. The GOP's chances of recapturing the mayor's office were high going into this election. Kelty's serious ethical and legal problems have turned a cake walk into a horse race.
5 comments:
But as you know, Gary, it's not up to Allen County Republicans to "dump Kelty before it's too late." Kelty won the primary. So as long as Kelty doesn't move out of the city or die, there are two options: he voluntarily comes off the ballot by July 15, or he is convicted of a felony.
Anyone who thinks Kelty will volunteer to jump ship completely misunderstands him. This guy really wants to be mayor, and has shown that he'll do anything (include either commit a felony or hock his family's future, depending on how you look at it) to be mayor. He (with some justification) feels persecuted by the Republican leadership and there is no way he is going to quit. They can't make him (what are they going to do, not support his candidacy? they've already done that, and he won anyway).
Regardless of what the Allen County Election Board does at its 6/19 hearing, no one really thinks that it is possible that a felony conviction could happen by Nov. So Fort Wayne voters are faced with this choice:
1. Tom Henry, 20-year city councilman, small business owner, all-around good guy, or
2. Matt Kelty, extremist demogogue who may or may not be able to serve his term (that is, TERM OF OFFICE) if he is convicted of a felony after Nov.
Hmm......let's see.....
Election Boards, under Indiana law, are often the final arbiter of All Things Legal surrounding elections. It's a 3-person board steeped in politics...for almost 3 decade,s the Marion County Election Board might as well have been a voting member of the County Republican Central Committee. Harken back to some of the decisions Faye Mowery, John Sweezy & Co. made. Disgraceful.
And state officials rarely, if ever, challenge the authority of local election boards, although they have the statutory authority to do so.
The Allen County case, as you've outliend it, seems open-and-shut. Maybe the nexus lines of political opportunism, expediency and practical common sense, will finally merge at the point of logic.
What are the penalties, should the election board find Kelty violated campaign finance laws?
Do they have the authority to fine im heavily? Remove him from the ballot for excessive abuse? I'm doubting that las tone, but don't really knwo the implications here. He clearly skirted and violated the law.
IC 3-6-5-31
Election law violations; investigation; action by board
Sec. 31. If a county election board determines that there is substantial reason to believe an election law violation has occurred, it shall expeditiously make an investigation. If in the judgment of the board, after affording due notice and an opportunity for a hearing, a person has engaged or is about to engage in an act or practice that constitutes or will constitute a violation of a provision of this title or of a rule or order issued under this title, the board shall take the action it considers appropriate under the circumstances, including referring the matter to the attorney general or the appropriate prosecuting attorney.
If they determine that Kelty violated the law, the Allen County Election Board will refer it to the Prosecuting Attorney. She is then likely to call in someone from another county as special prosecutor.
Great site! Also check out The Polis at www.polispolitics.com they have some interesting stoff on Indiana pols.
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