By GEORGE BENNETT
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Friday, June 13, 2008
A grand jury report that accused Democratic state Rep. Mary Brandenburg of encouraging “pay-to-play” campaign contributions in West Palm Beach has motivated a Republican to open a campaign against her.
Jeff Auslander, an economic development consultant who lives in Lake Worth, said he decided to run after the release last week of a county grand jury report that said Brandenburg, a friend of West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, “did not act ethically” when she told a neighborhood leader in 2006 that making campaign contributions would help improve relations with city officials.
“The pay-to-play attitude in this county has got to be purged,” said Auslander.
Brandenburg called the grand jury’s findings “uninformed and irresponsible” and said she did nothing wrong.
A former West Palm Beach city commissioner, Brandenburg has been elected three times to the state House in a district that is 45.4 percent Democratic and 27.9 percent Republican.
Attorney Thomas Schmitt opened a Democratic campaign against Brandenburg this year, but recently announced his withdrawal from the race and support for Brandenburg. Schmitt reiterated his support this week after the release of the grand jury report.
Brandenburg fought a 16-month court battle to keep the grand jury report sealed because she said she wanted to correct inaccuracies in it. She said the grand jury relied on “a cowardly attack by some anonymous person or persons.”
The grand jury was convened to investigate corruption in West Palm Beach. While finding a “pay-to-play” culture in which campaign contributions help get things done with city officials, the report did not lead to any charges.
The controversy involving Brandenburg stems from a meeting she had in 2006 with Carl Flick of Northwood Renaissance. Brandenburg said she discussed several ways Flick could improve relations with the city, including talking with officials and stopping critical e-mails. She said she also suggested that campaign contributions would generate “goodwill.”
The grand jury concluded that Brandenburg “did not act ethically” and was telling Flick that “the way to successfully conduct business in the city of West Palm Beach was to write substantial checks to the mayor’s campaign account.”
The grand jury found no evidence that Brandenburg acted with Frankel’s knowledge.