Mix-up sends education reform group’s mailers to wrong voters
September 9th, 2012 at 10:54 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
A pre-primary mailer voters in East Providence received this weekend should leave no doubt that the education reform group RI-CAN opposes Rep. Rene Menard. The only problem: those voters aren’t in his district.
A mix-up at the mailing center sent $5,157 worth of mailers paid for by RI-CAN’s sister 501(c)4, the 50CAN Action Fund, to be sent to the wrong voters, WPRI.com has confirmed. Mailers supporting East Providence Sen. Dan DaPonte over challenger Rep. Bob DaSilva went to voters in Menard’s Lincoln district, while mailers supporting Menard challenger Mia Ackerman went to East Providence.
Julie Marlette, 50CAN’s executive director, said the problem was traced back to the distribution center. “The day our mail was being inked the senior staff was away at a funeral and less experienced hands were on deck,” she told WPRI.com. “The mail intended for [House District 45] was inked with the addresses for [Senate District 14], and vice versa.” The group has spent $22,451 on those two races, disclosures show.
The company that addressed the mailers has agreed to reimburse 50CAN for the cost and is also attempting to deliver reprinted copies to the correct voters, Marlette said. “However, the post office cannot guarantee delivery before Tuesday’s primary and we expect some folks will get the mail after the primary is over,” she said.
50CAN’s backers include New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who’s donated $160,500 to the group.
An earlier version of this post overstated the cost of the two mailers and incorrectly described 50CAN Action Fund as a PAC.
Tags: daniel daponte, house district 45, mia ackerman, rene menard, RI-CAN, Roberto DaSilva, senate district 14
Nesi's Notes covers politics and the economy in and around Rhode Island for WPRI.com. (Twitter: 
Isn’t this the same group that candidate MaryEllen Butke used to run – but subsequently refused to endorse her?
I don’t think it’s accurate to say they “refused” to endorse Butke. Their executive director told me the law doesn’t allow the group to endorse her because of their recent relationship.
That clearly cannot be the case – what law did they cite that prohibits supporting former employees? In another race, this group is supporting an employee of the Department of Education, an Executive Branch department that they actively lobby!
It looks like education DOES have a gaurdian angel after all.
[...] House 45 (D-Lincoln): Rep. Rene Menard is always seen as vulnerable and somehow ekes out a win. (One observer said, “He’s like a vampire.”) This may be the cycle when his luck runs out thanks to a problematic redistricting and a top-tier challenger in Mia Ackerman, a town councilwoman from Cumberland who’s embraced Gina Raimondo and depicts Menard, a no vote on pension reform, as beholden to special interests. Still, nobody wants to rule out Menard when he’s surprised them before – and his fabled luck has already been in evidence again as an opposition mailer went to the wrong voters. [...]
[...] brought here at a young age. (3) Given their out-of-state base, it’s no wonder 50CAN got geographically confused with a couple of their mailers. If they had heard about Casey’s beer and dynamite [...]