Finally, a Pinellas Dem attack that makes sense
August 23, 2007 at 11:19 am by Wayne GarciaAfter years of suffering through (and I’m being charitable here) misguided leadership, the Pinellas County Democrats may finally have their shit together. Witness Pinellas DEC Chairwoman Toni Molinaro’s well-aimed missile late yesterday that demanded local Republicans return contributions given by former GOP candidate Angelo Cappelli, who is facing charges in a banking scheme.
Molinaro wrote:
The $2,240 given to the Pinellas Republican Party by disgraced former candidate Angello Cappelli should be donated to charity, said local Democratic Party chair Toni Molinaro. She asks the Republicans, and its chairman Tony DiMatteo, to return the money.
Cappelli, a former wealth and investment adviser, is charged with first-degree grand theft and perjury.
Police say the one-time bank trust officer and failed State House District 52 candidate admitted stealing more than $100,000 from a client, keeping money intended for charity to pay off his own credit card bills and homeowner’s insurance.
Public records show that Cappelli gave the Pinellas County Republican Executive Committee $1,000 on Jan. 26, 2006, $240 on Aug. 26, 2006 and an additional $1,000 on Feb. 2 of this year. Those contributions are reported on the Pinellas Supervisor of Elections website.
The St. Petersburg client from whom Cappelli is accused stealing died in February. The client’s will intended the money go to a local charity.
“The Republican Party should give the $2,240.00 it received from Cappelli to the Pinellas County Community Foundation since that is the charity that Cappelli tried to steal more than $100,000 from,” said Molinaro. “If we are going to rid our community of political corruption, the place to start is to return ill gotten gains.”
Unfortunately for the citizens of Pinellas County, we have a series of scandals with which to deal,” said Molinaro. “Pinellas Democrats intend to make political corruption one of the issues in the 2008 elections.” The Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney’s office and a Grand Jury are looking into a questionable county land purchase involving Republican Property Appraiser Jim Smith and whether he received favorable treatment at the direction of Republican County Commission chairman Ronnie Duncan.
Leaving aside the issue of Cappelli being innocent until proven guilty (he’s reportedly confessed), Molinaro is not only morally right on target but strategically firing on all cylinders. The Pinellas GOP (like the national GOP) has a cleanliness problem that it needs to deal with. Ongoing arrests and scandals such as the Rep. Bob Allen solicitation for prostitution bust are only keeping that public perception alive.
