Republican Jonathan Paton, who is one of four GOP candidates who hope to take out Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in November, cashed in a lot of miles on his most recent campaign-finance report as an Arizona Senate candidate.
Paton, who announced on Jan. 17 that he’d be running for U.S. Congress instead of pursuing re-election to the Arizona Senate, is closing out his Senate campaign account, which had $12,220 in it at the start of year.
As part of the wrap-up, Paton reimbursed himself for $8,350 in mileage expenses from the state campaign account, in five payments: $250 on Feb. 4, $3,000 on Feb. 9, $3,000 on Feb. 19, $1,100 on March 4 and $1,000 on March 24.
At the standard reimbursement rate of 54 cents a mile, that comes out to 15,463 miles.
Paton, who resigned from his $24,000-a-year job as a state senator on Feb. 22, says the reimbursements cover the miles he drove around the district in 2009 to Green Valley, Sierra Vista and other areas in-between to meet with constituents.
“I thought I was going to be running a Senate race and I didn’t want to pay myself back as much as I owed myself because I could use that money for other stuff, like messaging,” says Paton, who put so many miles on his last Honda Civic that it died on him last year and he ended up leasing a new one. “When I realized I wasn’t going to be running for re-election, I finally reimbursed myself.”
In a campaign finance report covering Nov. 25, 2008 through Dec. 31, 2009, Paton claimed $5,527 in mileage expenses and $5,262 in other traveling expenses.
Paton faces political newcomers Jesse Kelly and Brian Miller and metal-shop owner Jay Quick in the Aug. 24 GOP primary.
This article appears in Jul 8-14, 2010.
Leave it to Wick’s gossipy Jim Nintzel to dance around the issue of the day: even if a guest worker program is enacted, by the time these people are done paying Fed taxes, AZ taxes, and FICA in that scenario, the pious path to hypocritical righty purity, there’s not enough left to send back to the impoverished village and not enough to survive in the Old Pueblo or elsewhere in the Grand Canyon State. So, will they make a rational economic decision to not guest-work? If so, where does that leave such a program?
Will we see Paton et al picking “Pima” cotton, flipping infested motel mattresses, pruning your trees and shrubs, whatever, to make what, a stupid Honda payment?
Stay tuned, but don’t expect much more than another Rasmussen poll…
If you look at the term “Fiscal Conservative” you sort of have to wonder which Candidate best reflects that term? In this case, I don’t think there is much of a choice as Jesse Kelly has spent a lot of money on his campaign and Jonathan Paton in on path to do the same. Brian Miller seems to be the best at being the “Fiscal Conservative” and is also widely known has the “Hardest Working” Candidate in the race for Arizona’s Congressional District #8. One has to tip his hat to Brian Miller for practicing what he preaches and sticking to his ethics. I challenge the other two candidates to be as “Fiscally Conservative” as Brian Miller.
For those of you who are still undecided, I would check out Brian Miller’s positions at http://www.brianmillerforcongress.com
$8,350 hey that’s a good chunk towards a new car. perfect timing too isn’t that nice.