Why is DPOC Chairman Frank Barbaro keeping his treasurer in the dark about party finances?
Orange County Democratic Party Treasurer Reggie Mundekis barely survived an impeachment effort Monday night, coming within one vote of being removed from office by the Central Committee. Mundekis, a controversial party activist, has publicly raised questions about the Democratic Central Committee’s lack of transparency on internal finances. The vote to impeach her was 33-19, just short of the required two-thirds majority, according to the Voice of OC.
Among those trying to censure and impeach Mundekis was Orange Juice blogger, and Occupy lawyer, Greg Diamond. On the one hand the guy is grousing about banks – and an Occupier, but when Mundekis tried to tell local Democrats the truth about the DPOC’s finances, Diamond had a cow. How typical.
What is Orange Juice blogger Greg Diamond trying to cover up?
Several DPOC insiders even tried to hold the impeachment election privately – and they even tried to boot the Voice of OC reporters from what should be a public meeting. For shame!
Fortunately, my old friend Jeff LeTourneau, “a newly elected Central Committee member who chaired the meeting, opted for a public session.” Good move Jeff!
The DPOC hacks were also angry that Mundekis paid off their former Executive Director, Gerrie Schipske. Are you kidding? Why would the pro-labor DPOC try to stiff a former employee? What a joke!
Here is what the hacks charged Mundekis with, in a letter that was posted by the O.C. Register:
On October 20th, at a meeting of the Council of Democratic Clubs, Reggie Mundekis presented herself as the Treasurer of the DPOC and made comments disparaging Frank Barbaro and others about the financial arrangements of the DPOC in regards to the Truman Dinner. She also stated that Mr. Barbaro was withholding new bank account information and refused to provide information of who has access to those accounts to her. She also passed out a DPOC Financial statement to non Central Committee members.
In addition, several emails have been circulated by Reggie Mundekis to selected groups both inside and outside the membership of the DPOC giving a similar perception as to the finances of the DPOC.
Ms. Mundekis also made substantial expenditures without Democratic Party approval.
It sure sounds like DPOC Chair Frank Barbaro is breaking the law:
“I have never seen one single bank statement,” Mundekis told delegates. “I do not know where your money goes. After Durkee and Associates went out of business, I stopped receiving signed copies of contracts.” Barbaro said county Democratic Party officials had opened a new bank account after the Durkee indictment. Mundekis said she wasn’t included in those plans.
Even Liberal OC blogger Chris Prevatt has recognized that something fishy is going on at the DPOC. Prevatt wrote a post today acknowledging that “Party activists have told LiberalOC that Mundekis had been instructed by Barbaro towithhold financial reports from the Central Committee, and its Executive Board.”
Prevatt also wrote that ” Barbaro decided to cut Mundekis out of the picture opening new bank accounts and withholding all information about Partyfinances. As the Party was struggling to conduct it’s annual Truman Award Dinnerfundraising event, Mundekis was out of the loop.”
Time to call the FBI back in again…
UPDATE: Here is a list of the DPOC hacks who signed the letter sent to their Central Committee members, in a now failed attempt to impeach their Treasurer:
- Frank Barbaro, Chair
- Anita Narayana, Secretary
- Jesus Silva, Northern Vice Chair
- John Smith, Region 16 Director
- Louise Stewardson, Western Vice Chair
- Stephen Blount
- Ken Burke
- Lindy Burke
- Rosalind Freeman
- Jackie Hartfield
- Art HoffmanMadeline Jensen
- Gary Kephart
- Scott McKown
- Molly Muro
- Shawn Roselius
- Marti Schrank
- Mitch Star
- Cyril Yu
