Austin failure 'not my fault'
Political consultant Sue Burnside is denying any involvement in the failure of school board candidate Ben Austin in qualifying for the March 3 ballot.
Burnside sent out a note to her clients and others, saying she was not involved in the campaign. Here are excerpts"
The fact is Ben Austin is not my client. Burnside & Associates is not and has never been under contract to him or his Campaign. I have never met Mr. Austin.
I did not circulate or supervise Ben Austin's petition drive; I was on my honeymoon in South America.
An independent contractor misrepresented himself - without my knowledge or approval - as an employee of Burnside & Associates when he agreed to collect the signatures for Mr. Austin.
I am deeply pained that during my absence from the office this unfortunate situation occurred. I would like to express my sincere regret that his signature collection fell short of the requisite number and Mr. Austin did not qualify for the ballot.
It has taken me 20 years to build my firm and reputation; I have always taken great pride in the meticulous and strategic work I have done for our clients. Had I been in the office as usual, this simply would not have occurred."
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About The
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Los Angeles Daily News City Hall reporter Rick Orlov writes about politics on the local, state and national stage.
What a bunch of baloney! Robert Urteaga, the unammed independent contractor that Sue talks about in her message, did petition signatures for Wendy Greuel's campaign. So Urteaga only works for Burnside when he is working for Wendy?
Orlov, ask the Greuel campaign, they will confirm.
Also, its widely known that Urteaga has worked for UTLA and he was a close associate of Nick Pacheco, Villaraigosa's long time nemesis. Do you think this was an accident?
Burnside is just trying to save her ass at this point.
Convicted Felon Robert Urteaga is unethical and narcissistic. He does and says what ever is expeditious for his agenda.
Urteaga lied to Montebello residents in 2007 during his campaign for City Council. He claimed in a mailer that he was a “long time voter in Montebello,” but records obtained from the LA and Orange Co. Registrars shows he was NEVER registered in Montebello until he pulled papers to run in August of 2007.
Urteaga’s campaign was financed by Bob Hertzberg’s machine money (check out the records at http://recallurteaga.blogspot.com/).
Bob Hertzberg called in a favor with County Supervisor Gloria Molina to get her endorsement, but Urteaga never told her about his Felony Conviction.
Tom Calderon engineered his and his brother’s endorsements for Urteaga, but Urteaga never told them he was a convicted felon.
Montebello’s Police Officers Association endorsed Urteaga, but he never told them he was a Felon.
When Urteaga’s Felony Conviction came to light…he never apologized…he just said he knew it would come out some time.
Urteaga is the kind of guy who gives politicians a bad name.