Easy Money: Funnel $6,175 to Liberal Democrats, Get Back $4.6 Million (Plus Tax Abatements)!
Iredale Cosmetics' Sleazy Tax-Exempt Bond Deal: Payback for Campaign Cash to Obama & Dems?
Was six-figure job for ex-state rep. Denis Guyer part of the deal?
by G.M. Heller
Published: Saturday, June 4, 2011
Updated: Monday, June 6, 2011
Great Barrington, Massachusetts -- There may be other considerations attached to the recent grant of a $4.6 million tax-exempt federal Recovery Zone Facilities Bond to Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd..
Jeffrey Simon, director of the Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office, claimed May 25 that the Great Barrington-based company and its project to rehab the former Bryant Elementary School into Iredale's new corporate headquarters is "a model for other businesses".
Photo: Liberal Democrat State Rep. Wm. 'Smitty' Pignatelli and Jeffrey Simon, director of the Massachusett's Recovery and Reinvestment Office, look admiringly on at what a few well-placed campaign contributions can accomplish at the federal level. In the background is the 'down-to-the-studs' rehabilitation of the former Bryant Elementary School in Great Barrington to be used by Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. as its new corporate headquarters, the reconstruction project being paid for and subsidized by a tax-exempt bond issued under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Recovery Zone Bond Program.
Photo Credit: iberkshires.com
What Mr. Simon failed to mention in his glowing assessment of Iredale was that the $4.6 million RZFB tax-exempt bond his agency had awarded could easily be construed to be the quid pro quo for thousands of dollars in federal campaign contributions funneled by Ms. Iredale to Liberal Democrats.
Photo: Jane Iredale, Pres. & Founder,
Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd..
Photo Credit: janeiredale.blogspot.com
Jane Iredale's company was awarded the largest helping of federal RZFB bond funds allocated to Berkshire County.
A total of $5.725 million was allocated (via formula using data supplied by both the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Treasury applicable to all counties nationwide) to all of Berkshire County for eligible projects, yet inexplicably Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. was awarded the lion's share of the available local funds, receiving $4.6 million. All bonds had to be issued by January 1, 2011.
Illustration: Sodahead.com
The federal largess shown Iredale Mineral Cosmetics appears to be the direct result of owner Jane Iredale's own largess: the CEO's generous cash contributions to Barack Obama in 2008 in the midst of his run for President, as well as to the campaigns of U.S. Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA) and Congressman John W. Olver (D-MA1).
Ms. Iredale is also no slouch when it comes to opening her wallet to the Democrat National Committee and to left-wing Democrat causes and political organizations like MoveOn.org.
The money for the tax-exempt bond, doled out from the federal Recovery Zone Bond Program established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (signed into law by Barack Hussein Obama in 2009), is being administered by Mr. Simon's office (an agency that itself is one of the state's newest patronage havens controlled by Beacon Hill's Liberal Democrats).
The nexus of the Obama RZBP bond program and state Liberal Democrat control of Mr. Simon's Recovery and Reinvestment Office would also explain the strange pairing of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. with Liberal Democrat Denis Guyer, a former Berkshire County state representative from Dalton, who was hired by Iredale in March 2011 less than three months after his term as state rep expired January 5, 2011, the multi-termed incumbent curiously opting not to seek reelection.
Photo: Liberal Democrats U.S. Senator John F. Kerry and former Mass. State Representative Denis Guyer before Mr. Guyer 'retired' from politics and was promptly hired by Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd..
Mr. Guyer, who has no former experience in women's cosmetics nor in retail sales but does have oodles of political connections on Beacon Hill and amongst the Democrats who populate the Massachusetts delegation in Washington, D.C., may have been part of the equation that resulted in both his being hired at a six-figure salary by Iredale and the firm's receipt of a generous helping of federal largess administered by a Massachusetts state agency.
Prior to hiring Mr. Guyer, company CEO Jane Iredale apparently had no interest whatsoever in Mr. Guyer as a state representative since there is no record of Ms. Iredale ever contributing a penny to Mr. Guyer's campaigns or campaign committee.
Regarding generous helpings of largess from local taxpayers: Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. is now also on the receiving end of a generous local real estate tax abatement from the Liberal Democrat-controlled Town of Great Barrington awarded by the town's Board of Assessors. <<<<<
The following is a list of Jane Iredale's most recent contributions to political organizations (from the files of OpenSecrets.org):
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/CEO, 10/30/10,$225, MoveOn.org.
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 10/16/08,$1,000, DNC Services Corp (D).
IREDALE, JANE, Great Barrington,MA 01230, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, 10/16/08,$700, Obama, Barack (D).
IREDALE, JANE, Great Barrington, MA 01230, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics/Business, 10/14/08,$250, DNC Services Corp (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 9/16/08,$500, Obama, Barack (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 8/29/08,$1,000, Obama, Barack (D)
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS OWNER, 9/30/05,$250, Olver, John W (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSM/BUSINESS OWNER, 7/26/05,$500, DNC Services Corp (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 8/10/04,$1,000, MoveOn.org.
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 8/4/04,$250, Kerry, John (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSM/BUSINESS OWNER, 6/11/04,$500, DNC Services Corp (D).
------------------------------------------------------
Was six-figure job for ex-state rep. Denis Guyer part of the deal?
by G.M. Heller
Published: Saturday, June 4, 2011
Updated: Monday, June 6, 2011
Great Barrington, Massachusetts -- There may be other considerations attached to the recent grant of a $4.6 million tax-exempt federal Recovery Zone Facilities Bond to Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd..
Jeffrey Simon, director of the Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office, claimed May 25 that the Great Barrington-based company and its project to rehab the former Bryant Elementary School into Iredale's new corporate headquarters is "a model for other businesses".
Photo: Liberal Democrat State Rep. Wm. 'Smitty' Pignatelli and Jeffrey Simon, director of the Massachusett's Recovery and Reinvestment Office, look admiringly on at what a few well-placed campaign contributions can accomplish at the federal level. In the background is the 'down-to-the-studs' rehabilitation of the former Bryant Elementary School in Great Barrington to be used by Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. as its new corporate headquarters, the reconstruction project being paid for and subsidized by a tax-exempt bond issued under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - Recovery Zone Bond Program.Photo Credit: iberkshires.com
What Mr. Simon failed to mention in his glowing assessment of Iredale was that the $4.6 million RZFB tax-exempt bond his agency had awarded could easily be construed to be the quid pro quo for thousands of dollars in federal campaign contributions funneled by Ms. Iredale to Liberal Democrats.
Photo: Jane Iredale, Pres. & Founder,Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd..
Photo Credit: janeiredale.blogspot.com
Jane Iredale's company was awarded the largest helping of federal RZFB bond funds allocated to Berkshire County.
A total of $5.725 million was allocated (via formula using data supplied by both the Bureau of Labor Statistics and U.S. Treasury applicable to all counties nationwide) to all of Berkshire County for eligible projects, yet inexplicably Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. was awarded the lion's share of the available local funds, receiving $4.6 million. All bonds had to be issued by January 1, 2011.
Illustration: Sodahead.comThe federal largess shown Iredale Mineral Cosmetics appears to be the direct result of owner Jane Iredale's own largess: the CEO's generous cash contributions to Barack Obama in 2008 in the midst of his run for President, as well as to the campaigns of U.S. Senator John F. Kerry (D-MA) and Congressman John W. Olver (D-MA1).
Ms. Iredale is also no slouch when it comes to opening her wallet to the Democrat National Committee and to left-wing Democrat causes and political organizations like MoveOn.org.
The money for the tax-exempt bond, doled out from the federal Recovery Zone Bond Program established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (signed into law by Barack Hussein Obama in 2009), is being administered by Mr. Simon's office (an agency that itself is one of the state's newest patronage havens controlled by Beacon Hill's Liberal Democrats).
The nexus of the Obama RZBP bond program and state Liberal Democrat control of Mr. Simon's Recovery and Reinvestment Office would also explain the strange pairing of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. with Liberal Democrat Denis Guyer, a former Berkshire County state representative from Dalton, who was hired by Iredale in March 2011 less than three months after his term as state rep expired January 5, 2011, the multi-termed incumbent curiously opting not to seek reelection.
Photo: Liberal Democrats U.S. Senator John F. Kerry and former Mass. State Representative Denis Guyer before Mr. Guyer 'retired' from politics and was promptly hired by Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd..Mr. Guyer, who has no former experience in women's cosmetics nor in retail sales but does have oodles of political connections on Beacon Hill and amongst the Democrats who populate the Massachusetts delegation in Washington, D.C., may have been part of the equation that resulted in both his being hired at a six-figure salary by Iredale and the firm's receipt of a generous helping of federal largess administered by a Massachusetts state agency.
Prior to hiring Mr. Guyer, company CEO Jane Iredale apparently had no interest whatsoever in Mr. Guyer as a state representative since there is no record of Ms. Iredale ever contributing a penny to Mr. Guyer's campaigns or campaign committee.
Regarding generous helpings of largess from local taxpayers: Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, Ltd. is now also on the receiving end of a generous local real estate tax abatement from the Liberal Democrat-controlled Town of Great Barrington awarded by the town's Board of Assessors. <<<<<
The following is a list of Jane Iredale's most recent contributions to political organizations (from the files of OpenSecrets.org):
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/CEO, 10/30/10,$225, MoveOn.org.
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 10/16/08,$1,000, DNC Services Corp (D).
IREDALE, JANE, Great Barrington,MA 01230, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, 10/16/08,$700, Obama, Barack (D).
IREDALE, JANE, Great Barrington, MA 01230, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics/Business, 10/14/08,$250, DNC Services Corp (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON, MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 9/16/08,$500, Obama, Barack (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 8/29/08,$1,000, Obama, Barack (D)
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS OWNER, 9/30/05,$250, Olver, John W (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSM/BUSINESS OWNER, 7/26/05,$500, DNC Services Corp (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 8/10/04,$1,000, MoveOn.org.
IREDALE, JANE, GREAT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSMETICS/BUSINESS, 8/4/04,$250, Kerry, John (D).
IREDALE, JANE, GT BARRINGTON,MA 01230, IREDALE MINERAL COSM/BUSINESS OWNER, 6/11/04,$500, DNC Services Corp (D).
------------------------------------------------------
Labels: Barack Obama, Democrat National Committee, Denis Guyer, Iredale Mineral Cosmetics Ltd., Jane Iredale, Jeffrey Simon, John Kerry, John Olver, Mass. Recovery and Reinvestment Office, MoveOn.org
posted by G.M.Heller at Saturday, June 04, 2011
82 comments
