Yes, There are Other Candidates

[Arizona Freedom Alliance]

[Editor:  Yes, there are other candidates in the AZGOP election on Saturday.  This report below was sent to us unsolicited.  We are so impressed with this bio that we think you should know about this candidate.]

Bob Lettieri, Chief Financial Officer, CellTrust Corporation

As a career financial executive and CFO for the last 23 years, I have been responsible for providing shareholders, investors and regulatory agencies with information that demonstrated accountability at the highest level. Where and how any entity gets its funding, which is its life’s blood and key to its survival, has been an essential focus over the course of my career.  “Hypothetically”, if you were a shareholder or any type of major stakeholder in a company that in six years lost 61% of its customer base I think you would be concerned. In addition, if the same company six years ago generated 14.7% of its revenue from major customers and this fiscal cycle generated 76.4% of its revenue from major customers, that should be cause for concern.  Your concern would be that a loss of any one major customer could lead to financial instability of the company. Additionally over the most current reporting cycle the total receipts of this company were 30% less than its closest competitor. If you were an investor in this company, you should be holding the senior management team accountable for the erosion of the customer base and the danger of depending on a few major customers along with your competitor out performing you on total receipts with a smaller base of potential customers.  

Fellow Republicans, what I have described in the paragraph above is exactly what’s happening to the AZGOP. 

In the election cycle of 2012 the AZGOP received 1,539 Itemized Individual contributions from 1,055 contributors.

In the election cycle of 2016 the AZGOP received 597 itemized individual contributions from 378 contributors. A decrease of 64% in contributor’s

In the election cycle of 2012 the AZGOP received 14.8% of Itemized Individual contributions from major contributors. (Major contributors are Itemized Individual contributions collectively $10,000.00 and greater from one individual contributor or one entity).

In the election cycle of 2016 the AZGOP received 76.4% of Itemized Individual contributions from major contributors. This represents an increase of 62% in Itemized Individual contributions from major contributors. Are we becoming the party of the chosen few?  Having taken a company public, I know from experience that the SEC considers revenue concentration a red flag and so should we fellow Republicans.

In the election cycle of 2016 the AZGOP received $1,133,729 of itemized individual contributions from 378 contributors with the Republicans representing 34.6% of registered voters. By contrast in the election cycle of 2016, the AZ Democratic Party received $1,233,239 of Itemized Individual contributions from 1,830 contributors with 30.4% of registered voters being Democrats. Doesn’t this mean that the Democrats are getting more participation and broadening their base of active supporters while our AZGOP are content to rely on fewer and fewer while allowing the AZGOP to rely on larger but fewer Republicans that are contributing their financial resources.

In the election cycle of 2016 the AZ Democratic Party received 30% or $2,265,751 more in Total receipts (from all sources which includes Itemized Individual contributions) than the AZGOP.

All of these performance metrics should be a red flag to us Republicans. 

Collectively we Republicans should be asking our AZGOP leadership what their plan is to reverse these negative trends. The information I am presenting is available to anyone by going to the FEC.GOV website and selecting Details for Committees. You will need to put your curser on the line item “itemized individual contributions” and export to an excel spreadsheet to breakdown the information in the format I outlined in the paragraphs above. If you choose to visit the FEC.GOV website and review Arizona Republican Party 2016 Election Cycle reporting,  please note that the Treasurer reporting the information is Jonathan Lines who is currently a candidate for AZGOP Chairman.

As a candidate for AZGOP Treasurer, I was planning on presenting this information at the AZGOP Statutory Meeting for all Arizona State Committeemen. However due to action currently underway by the current AZGOP Chairman Robert Graham, 119 State Committeemen from LD23 (which I am one of) may be prevented from attending the meeting. 

Along with the analysis presented of what I believe are negative trends I also believe I have a potential solution. If you choose to elect me I will be presenting in person to the PC’s a plan whereby each PC can participate individually. In addition I will be presenting a plan with no cost attached to it to PC’s that own a business or work in a business that processes credit cards for payment.

Thank you for the opportunity to allowing me to share with you my analysis of the current trends in our AZGOP and also for allowing me the opportunity to present to you a potential solution to the problems identified.

 

 

BOB LETTIERI Chief Financial Officer CellTrust Corporation

[John5319]

Brilliant expose on financial trends of the GOP in Arizona.

None of this should surprise us ... since Robert Graham was the director of Americans for Responsible Leadership and was allowed to collect and spend unlimited amounts of money without disclosing their donors. Americans for Responsible Leadership was formed in July 2011, stating in an incorporation document in Arizona that the group's purpose was "to further the common good and general welfare of the citizens of the United States of America by educating the public about concepts that advance government accountability, transparency, ethics and related public policy issues" ... but where is that transparency now when he tries to PREVENT 119 Committeemen from LD23 to attend this Saturday's convention ????????? When he ran to be the GOP chairman of the Republican Party he gave a pledge to ... "respect the grassroots conservatives and Tea Party members who have infused our Party with energy and recommitment to conservative ideals". The facts are that he is a ... Liar - Liar.

[Arizona Freedom Alliance]

John: That was a money laundering scheme that started in a 501c3 PAC and was transferred to ARL, a 501c4, and then to a third PAC in California and spent on political endeavors, allowing those who donated to the c3 PAC to deduct their donations from their taxes.  Political donations are not deductible, as we know, so this was a way, an illegal way, to allow donors to deduct political contributions.  He was brought up on charges in California and was fined $1,000,000 to keep it out of court, a settlement with the State of California.  We reported on this in 2012 just before he was elected the first time and again in 2014.  He has a court case pending now and a review of records from the Arizona Superior Court, he has had several lawsuits against him.

[John5319]

Thanks for the clarification ... illegal, and opaque is what Graham is all about !

[Barbara Smith]

Do you suppose Graham became wealthy by his actions?  Sounds like we have another hitlery type, liar, thief in our "elite" ranks! Jus' sayin'. 

[Jaspersgoat]

Here's what I hear from those who seem to know: he leased himself a car through AZGOP using GOP funds. He took his entire family to the Convention in Cleveland on AZGOP money.  He took his entire family to the inauguration on AZGOP money.  His father in law has been supporting them because he hasn't had a job in 4 years. He lost his business which was RG Investments or something close to that because of legal troubles. He thought he would get the RNC Chairman's job but the RNC is on to him. So no, I don't think he got wealthy I think he thought this job would lead to wealth. But he is such a scum bag that sooner or later even the most naive person realizes it.

[Barbara Smith]

Thanks for the onfo Jaspergoat but if he hasn't made money, he is still living high off funds that he has no right to spend, as far as I can tell.

[Jennifer LaBonte]

Even though I'm aware that this oftentimes goes on in politics, it's a real shame that this man (Graham) got into office in the first place. It would appear as though he felt this was a ticket for anything that  he wanted paid by the people in Arizona.If it could be proven, then I would hope that the AZGOP would go against him for the money that he spent that was not his. In addition, I am in great hopes that Jim O'Connor will win the chairman position. Jim is a very good person & from all that I have read about him, I think he would do an excellent job. I am not one that could vote for him b/c I'm not a pc & I do not attend meetings in Phoenix. However, I have always been able to judge people rather well & Jim O'Connor is one person, that if I could vote, I would vote for him.

[Connie Uribe]

Thank you, Bob! And good luck Saturday. We need strong conservatives with your knowledge and willingness to take action. Where there is corruption, all you have to do is follow the money.