Friday, August 10, 2012

“Hey Matt — you familiar with this organization?”

Interview request to Ohio mayor sets off alarms for Bloomberg, Media Matters - Daily Caller

MAIG Coordinators Paid as City Employees, Saves Gun-Hater’s Money - Sean Caranna/All Nine Yards

Here’s a great way to reduce overhead and be effective at running a national organization dedicated to infringing on the gun rights of everyday people all at the same time… Have cities hire your people for you so that tax payers cover ¼ of your people’s salary and benefits, pay for most of their operational costs, and finance all of their other resources! It also embeds your people as leaders in city government so that you don’t have to lobby there!

Sounds like another conspiracy theory from the tinfoil hat brigade… Right?

...Back in March, while researching the repeal of some anti-gun ordinances, I stumbled across an Orlando City Council agenda item that grabbed my attention. It was, on its surface, just a mundane action item for the annual contract renewal of a city employee. But this city employee’s job title was, well, unique…

“Approving Employment Contract for the Grant-Funded Position of Mayors Against Illegal Guns Regional Coordinator.” City of Orlando Website

The agenda included a budgetary breakdown for how a $75,000 grant from the “United Against Illegal Guns Support Fund” was to be spent.
$60,000 in salary and benefits for the “MAIG Regional Coordinator”
$2,000 for Supplies
$3,000 for “Contractual Services”
10,000 for Travel
Also attached was the Fiscal Impact statement. It showed that this employee’s salary and benefits were expected to cost the city $84,000 for the year. It allocated $24,000 from the city’s “General Fund” to cover the grant’s shortfall.... ◼ More at the links