Through a public records request, Tallahassee Reports has learned that Mayor Andrew Gillum’s Office sent out an email blast invite to a Biden/Clinton campaign event using the NGP VAN software purchased with City of Tallahassee tax dollars.
This finding contradicts the statements by Gillum’s Chief of Staff, Dustin Daniels, who told Jeff Burlew of the Tallahassee Democrat that the NGP VAN software was not used for campaign purposes.
“We use it for our communications with constituents for large events like the Longest Table or our community summit on children, which requires thousands of messages and interactions with specific lists of community members,” said Daniels.
This finding raises the level of the controversy that began after TR published a story about the $5,000 expenditure.
Read our report here.
Mayor Andrew Gillum, a gubernatorial candidate, has yet to address the issue.
Also, through a discussion with an employee at NGP VAN, TR has determined the following:
- Gillum has owned rights to the NGP VAN software since he first purchased the software in 2011 for his City Commission campaign. The City began paying for the software in 2015.
- The software has never been registered under the City of Tallahassee.
- Until around January 1, 2017, the receipts for payment by City tax dollars gave a recipient address of 1550 Melvin Street. This is the same address given for the People for American Way Foundation – which employed Gillum until early this year.
Listed below is the Biden email sent from the Office of the Mayor through the NGP VAN software purchased by City of Tallahassee tax dollars.
How do we know it is from the NGP VAN software?
We clicked on the unsubscribe link and we were redirected to the unsubscribe form – we have included a screen shot of that page below the email.
The form references the NGP VAN software.
In addition, the form lists a number of email lists that Mayor Gillum has accumulated since purchasing the software in 2011.
While some of the labels, General, TLH AREA, are self-explanatory others are not.
TR will continue to investigate.
BIDEN/CLINTON CAMPAIGN EVENT EMAIL
THE UNSUBSCRIBE FORM
BREAKING NEWS: City Tax Dollars Pay for Mayors Office to Send Biden/Clinton Campaign Invite added by Staff on
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If true, this is a violation of Federal law. The Hatch act specifically prohibits this.
So if/when does he have to resign. What is the law or city policy(that he wouldn’t follow anyway)
He said he will do his full term which means he will continue to travel all over the state on the cities dime and saying he is on city business.
I hope Steve and our good friend Erwin Jackson will be watching these expenditures closely as they have other city personnel I’ve heard about.
Keep digging TR and you will find George Soros’ hand in everything Gillum does. In order to get back that $140k a year from Soros’ People for American Way Foundation is to resign as Mayor while he pretends to run for Governor. Would not be surprised to see him actually land in DC with his favorite Community Organizer any day now to take on Trump.
As far as being held responsible, both Gillum and Daniels will skate on all this because no one within the DA’s office or law enforcement is going to step forward. What a waste.
Drain the corrupt swamp in Tallahassee!! Start with Mayor followed by the rest of his corruption of people.
How does it feel Tallahassee to once again be used as a stepping stone for a ambitious politician. Screw TALL. UP THEN MOVE ON.
The true value of Tallahassee Reports shines brightly in this story! The Democrat would never reported on this story without Steve’s initiative! If you agree then donate to Steve’s efforts!
You are so right, Franklin. Dustin Daniels needs to be fired and Gillum needs to be prosecuted, along with every other person involved in this. Heads ought to roll over this and other offenses.
I’m tired of the hypocrisy. Get rid of those without integrity
gillum has just announced he is running for Governor so he has to resign as mayor and will use that as his excuse for resignation rather than his illegal purchases using city $$$.
Do you really think he intends to resign? We’ll see, after all, Democrats think campaign rules apply only to Republicans.