Jon Russell's Lie of the Day: Russell's cowardice and lies continue: Disavows ANY blame for ANYTHING in Washougal.

It's clear that Russell is a political coward: his failure to provide a direct link to this blog speaks volumes, so that those unfortunate enough to stumble onto his effort can't come in and read it for themselves.

In short, Russell apparently believes his blog readers to be too stupid to make up their own minds.

In today's episode, Russell, who neglects to mention that he was chair of the Washougal City Council Finance Committee, and therefore responsible for the review of EVERY financial aspect and expenditure of the city, spews the following:

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Washougal Mayors Scandal

Question
Was Jon partly or fully to blame for the financial scandal that brought down the former Mayor?

Background
This is an accusation was made by Clark County Politics Blog (The Ann Rivers Campaign Attack Blog). The Blog Author Kelly Hinton is Ann Rivers long time political consultant.

Answer
No. As City Councilman, Jon was there when former Mayor Stacee Sellers was under investigation about the missing $100,000 of income to the city. He assisted the State Auditor by signing off on search inquiries into multiple bank accounts associated with the former Mayor. He successfully led the charge to have her removed from office when there was no doubt that she had falsified documents detailing the revenue from the events she had put on for the city. The former Mayor reimbursed the city for her lavish trip to Las Vegas before the expense report ever crossed Jon's desk.

Jon has made great strides in Washougal since our former Mayors’ departure: he has cut property taxes, implemented a new whistle blower protection policy, passed E-verify to keep tax payer contracts from going to illegal aliens, and deregulated small businesses to help them create jobs.

Proving once again that their is no lie Russell won't tell...

This is an accusation was made by Clark County Politics Blog (The Ann Rivers Campaign Attack Blog). The Blog Author Kelly Hinton is Ann Rivers long time political consultant.

Russell, of course, fails to mention (because he's very big on leaving facts out along with lying about his education and his wife being a doctor) that I was using CCP to pound him like a nail while he was doing so a terrible job of running for Congress. So, while it serves some purpose to lie about what my blog is, or who I am, it's more in keeping with his complete lack of integrity, well established by his previously mentioned lies.

Previously, Russell lied about me by calling me "a 'paid contract employee' of Ann Rivers.

Now, he's lying about me being Rivers' "consultant."

While Russell has paid two people for consulting... poorly.... Ann hasn't paid me a thing.

I am hammering on Russell because he has proven himself a liar. I am hammering on Russell because he refuses to take responsibility for ANYTHING, as amply illustrated by his worthless effort here. I am hammering on Russell because he portrays himself as a conservative, while failing to mention that he made thousands in his effort to jam the largest local tax increase down the throats of the people in the Port District by working FOR the Port in THEIR efforts to jack up OUR taxes.

I'm looking forward to his excuse for THAT little mercenary effort.

So, he lied when he called me Rivers' paid contract employee. And as much as I appreciate the promotion to "long time political consultant", the fact is that Rivers is an excellent consultant in her own right. She doesn't need MY help to beat Russell like a rented mule.

Let's be clear here: Because Russell engaged in low-life activity like asking me for Pam Brokaw's social security number shortly after his arrival here to screw up SW Washington for the House; because he lies with alacrity, because he exaggerates at an unbelievable rate, because he continues to violate the Public Disclosure laws of this state... I would be writing this blog... this way... if I had never heard of Ann Rivers... just like I was thumping his grape before Russell finally figured out how bad he was getting his butt kicked and switched to his fall back position when he announced for the 18th District, yet another little fact, like so many OTHER facts... that Russell chooses to ignore.

Getting to his moronic response to the question at issue as he continues to destroy trust in government:

No. As City Councilman, Jon was there when former Mayor Stacee Sellers was under investigation about the missing $100,000 of income to the city

As Chair of the city finance committee, it was Russell's voluntarily assumed DUTY to stay on top of the money.

Did he? Where is it? HE DOESN'T KNOW.

Incompetence isn't a really great campaign plank, Jon. Really.

He assisted the State Auditor by signing off on search inquiries into multiple bank accounts associated with the former Mayor.

WOW! That must have taken DAYS of hard work.... imagine, someone like Jon ACTUALLY SIGNING FORMS!!!

Unbelievable. Make sure you put that on your slim jim.

He successfully led the charge to have her removed from office when there was no doubt that she had falsified documents detailing the revenue from the events she had put on for the city.

Gee. My recollection is that Sellers resigned.

ANOTHER lie, Jon? How is it that you lie so much on a site called "fact check the web?"

Kinda scummy, really.

And that's the whole point of Russell's unfitness for ANY elective office.

In THIS post, he lies and exaggerates over what HE, Russell, has done... while striving to completely avoid any responsibility for anything that happened.

Russell is the classic, old-style pol. No lie he won't tell... no credit he won't take.

The former Mayor reimbursed the city for her lavish trip to Las Vegas before the expense report ever crossed Jon's desk.

ANOTHER LIE?

This is what RUSSELL HIMSELF SAID in an article by the Columbian:

Here's what the Columbian buried today about Russell's little meat hooks being buried in this particular pie:

The people responsible for that oversight are members of the city council. Three council members — Russell, Lou Peterson and Paul Greenlee — make up the finance committee tasked with approving city employees' and officials' receipts and spending.

The expenditures are first submitted to the finance department, and then go to the mayor for approval, Russell said. Each week, the mayor sends the finance committee members e-mails with the accounts payable receipts and statements for their review and approval, he (Russell) said. Sometimes the statements have details of specific charges, sometimes they only include the employee's name and how much they are to be reimbursed, Russell said. Unless the committee members ask to see the details of those reimbursements, oftentimes they don't know the specifics. And many times expenditures are approved as long as they fall within the amount included in the annual budget, he said.

Russell said he does not recall whether he saw details of the Las Vegas trip expenditures.

"It's not at all a perfect system," Russell said.

The committee members do not meet to discuss the expenditures; that practice ended several years ago in favor of council workshops, he said. Instead, members are told to go to Sellers with questions, Russell said.

"We have been told by the mayor not to talk to department heads to get answers, that everything has to go through her," he said.

The use of city money to purchase alcohol was questioned by the committee and reviewed earlier this summer by the city council. Sellers was notified that the practice was prohibited by city policy and she reimbursed the city for the cost of alcohol charges, Russell said. City officials were not available to comment on the amount of the reimbursement.

"She was under the impression for some reason that it was permissible," he said.

So, Russell KNEW about the booze... but then claims he DIDN'T RECALL whether he "SAW SPECIFIC DETAILS OF THE LAS VEGAS TRIP EXPENDITURES?"

Russell, HIMSELF, according to the newspaper, SAID HE DOES NOT RECALL WHETHER HE SAW THE DETAILS OF THE LAS VEGAS TRIP EXPENDITURES.

It's not JUST that Russell lies... but that he does it so badly.

So, Jon... here ya go. Keeping you off message has been easy because you give me so much raw material to work with.

Jon has made great strides in Washougal since our former Mayors’ departure: he has cut property taxes, implemented a new whistle blower protection policy, passed E-verify to keep tax payer contracts from going to illegal aliens, and deregulated small businesses to help them create jobs.

See, it's this kind of idiocy that provides just another element of the many into the flawed make up of a megalomaniac who thinks he's actually accomplished anything.

The "strides" this clown has made is to continue to use the people and government of Washougal as a campaign prop.

Sellers made Russell pee his pants. Russell had ample opportunity to put a stop to all of this, and instead, what did he do? Did he go public? Did he contact the AG?

No. He did nothing.

Look, Jon... I get that I smacked you silly in my letter to the editor in The Reflector. I get that had to hurt. But no one made you become an incompetent political mercenary who would sell out any conservative principles for a pay check, like you did when you worked for the Port.

You did that on your own.

Sooooo, keep lying, stud. And I'll keep beating you like a rented mule.

Cross posted at Clark County Politics.
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