The Arizona Republic follows up on a story first broken by Tucson Weekly in 2010: How Don Kelly Construction, the family-owned pipeline company where Tea Party congressional candidate Jesse Kelly works, has received tens of millions of dollars in stimulus funds:
Jesse Kelly, the Republican candidate running to replace Gabrielle Giffords in Congress, argues that President Barack Obama’s economic-stimulus program failed to boost the economy through infrastructure projects and that government spending is driving the country to bankruptcy.
But the family construction company where Kelly has worked for about eight years, Don Kelly Construction Inc., has benefited from at least three contracts financed by millions in stimulus dollars and has relied almost exclusively on government-funded pipeline projects for its business.
The Arizona Republic has found that since 2010, additional stimulus and government-funded projects, totaling at least $60.8 million, have gone to the company.
“When Kelly talks about cutting (government) spending, but his own family’s company is profiting from that very spending, you have to scratch your head and wonder whether he really believes what he says,” said Rodd McLeod, a spokesman for Barber. “If he’s really against it, why is he in that business?”
What Kelly told the Weekly in 2010:
Kelly himself estimates that close to 90 percent of the firm’s work comes from government contracts worth tens of millions of dollars. And around the country, the firm—which is owned by Kelly’s father, Don Kelly—frequently bids on public-works projects funded by both stimulus dollars and federal earmarks.
“The stimulus is not about Don Kelly Construction, and it shouldn’t be,” Kelly says. “It’s about the country as a whole. Even if the company itself—which is not my company—benefitted from these projects, that doesn’t make it right at all.”
He says he doesn’t know if the company is seeking other work funded by stimulus dollars or earmarks.
“I don’t have a clue,” Kelly says. “I’m sure we’re going after every single project that’s out there, so there may be more.”
This article appears in May 24-30, 2012.
Don Kelly Construction is based in Texas. Why is Jesse Kelly running for Congress in Tucson when his job is in Texas?
Don Kelly Construction is based in Montana. As a project manager Jesse is required to be on site at construction projects. His home is in Tuscon, he lives here.
Rincon, the same could have been asked of Gabby. She represented Tucson but lived in Houston the majority of the time. Personaly I feel that any elected official should be required to live in the district that they represent. And no I don’t care for either person running for office, Kelly simply is not qualified, and Barber is just another yes man.
An honest question would be, how many Democrats who own business’ in Tucson received taxdollars, and why focus only on Kelly?
No markus that would be an attempted distraction question, not an honest one. The Weekly DOESN’T focus only on Kelly, it goes where the stories are and covers all the local politicians. This particular story happens to be about Kelly, nothing more. And how many Democrats who own a business in Tucson and may have received tax dollars is completely irrelevant, as 99% of them aren’t running for office. The One Democrat who is- Ron Barber- isn’t hypocritically grandstanding against the evils of ‘gubmint soshalism’ spending while his family and by extension he himself, gorges at the public trough that he would deny to everyone else. Kelly’s rank hypocrisy in railing against and denying the efficacy of the very government programs that his family has benefitted handsomely from is almost as bad as his bald faced lying about not wanting to end Social Security and Medicare and thus is legitimately newsworthy, contrary to the whining of the tea baggers.
pete for the WIN.
There are people that get paid to comment on this site and other sites all over the country by the tea-party. Can you guess which one.
“I don’t have a clue,” Kelly says – BINGO!
Nick Briggs is trying to sound as though he lives in Tucson–but he can’t even spell that correctly. Deduct that from his pay!!
Why did it take this long for any Tucson media outlet to talk about this? (during the campaign) This story was broken in Phoenix! Shame on Tucson media for not pointing out the fact that Jesse Kelly is a hypocrite. When asked yesterday in a Phoenix interview how much has his family made on stimulus money, he answered “very little.”
So after Kelly’s ads say that he’s a small businessman, now he’s saying he’s just an employee:
“Even if the company itself—which is not my company—”
Logical thinker: Um, we’ve been reporting on this since 2010. And have been pointing it out.
where’s coltcassidy to type: vote for kelly? cowboy hat says what?
My thought was the same as Polly C. What does Nick Briggs know about Jesse Kelly living in Tucson when he can’t spell Tucson? Also, a response to Markus J: before being shot, Gabby lived in Tucson when she wasn’t off representing us in Washington, DC. She often would be seen bicycling around town, getting coffee, or shopping at the Swan/Grant Trader Joe’s. She wasn’t living in Houston.