Current City Commissioner and Mayoral candidate Andrew Gillum is refusing to answer questions about his employer, the People for the American Way, and how their policy positions could effect Tallahassee if he becomes Mayor.
In fact, Gillum threatened legal action against Tallahassee Reports for writing that he is employed by the People for the American Way even though his financial disclosure form clearly states he works for the People for the American Way.
Gillum’s email read:
“This is an incorrect story and if do not print a retraction I will involve a lawyer in your libelous and slanderous claims!…I work for People For the American Way FOUNDATION, a 501C3 nonprofit that cannot legally participate in partisan politics. “
The email was in response to a story published by Tallahassee Reports investigating the connection between the People for the American Way, Gillum, and a blog called Right Wing Watch. That report is here.
The People for the American Way website (www.pfaw.org) list Gillum as the Director of Youth Leadership Programs. These programs include Young People For, Young Elected Officials Network, and the Young Professionals Activist network.
The mission of the Young Elected Officials (YEO) Network, which Gillum is in charge of, is to unite and support progressive elected leaders who share a passion for building communities that reflect values of freedom, fairness, and opportunity for all.
The organization claims to be non-partisan but the policy positions advocated on their website seems to be inconsistent with that claim. Listed below is content from the “target issue” section of their website:
“Conservative lawmakers all over the country have taken aim at the rights of workers and families, and at the services and benefits on which many Americans depend.”
“Progressives also face continued attacks on reproductive health and rights by conservative state lawmakers.“
“The Obama administration has voiced its support for raising the minimum wage and emphasized the importance of balancing deficit reduction with progressive and fair reforms that promote growth. The Defending Workers and Families Council will continue to build on this momentum and work to protect and improve the lives of all American families.”
Specific policy positions listed under the “policy exchange” section of their website for local governments are consistent with the “progressive” approach to the YEO’s mission.
For example, at the local level, the group advocates for the regulation of pregnancy help centers through an ordinance adopted in San Francisco, a living wage ordinance adopted in Sonoma, California, and resolutions that encourage the disinvestment of City funds from banks that do not promote mortgage modifications.
Also the group supports an initiative stating that each school should also be a community learning center in which a variety of partners shall offer academic programs, enrichment activities, and support to students, families, and community members before and after school as well as during the evenings and on weekends throughout the calendar year.
Tallahassee Reports submitted questions to Commissioner Gillum over five days ago seeking to understand how the positions he is paid to advocate for could effect Tallahassee if he was elected Mayor.
He has yet to respond to our questions.
Gillum Ignores Questions About Employer, Threatens Legal Action added by Steve Stewart on
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Andrew Gillum is a liar. People For The American way is organized as a 501(c)(4) non profit corporation and not 501(c)(3) as Gillum says. A 501(c)(3)is a charity and a 501(c)(4) is a lobbying group for social welfare causes. Every time Gillum votes on a ‘social’ issue he is voting for his employer and that, my friends, is a conflict of interest.
My Correction: PFTAW has a 501(c)(3) charity FOUNDATION but Gillum’s Financial Disclosure does not reflect that he works for the FOUNDATION nor do his activities at PFTAW (according to their websites) reflect charity work. If he is doing other than charity work for PFTAW, they would be in violation of the Federal Tax code.
Walk into PFAW’s office, you’ll find an Obama poster in every office.
John was right on target when they said get a screenshot of the website page listing members of the Board of Directors for PFAW and PFAW Foundation. Mr. Gillum seems to have dropped from either board, but if you go to their YEO page there is a picture of the membership with what appears to be Mr. Gillum right up front.
Get used tot his. No one else wants to be Mayor so we are stuck with Gillum for the next 10 years.
Well TR has opened another sore on the flank of a politician. The city powers that be will begin to pressure your sponsors into dropping advertisement in your publication. Gillum is just splitting hairs and parsing words. This city is becoming a national embarrassment because of the tightly controlled politicians that are just hand puppets for the influential. Gillum has no legal recourse in this and he knows it, but they want to shut this publication down. The Democrat wont cover this stuff because they have no real investigative reporters and are afraid to rock the boat. As Linda Ellerby used to say “And so it goes”.
I truly hope that people in Tallahassee start to realize that it is time to get some new faces in city hall especially with the upper staff and manager.
Holy Cow; Gillum is on the staff?!
The entire staff is full of all kinds of Politico’s propagating ideological wherewithals. Did any of you think that Gillum wasn’t next in line, and, if he should fail, who is waiting in the wings? Why none other than insider VIP Scott Maddox.
Where does all of this lead?
So many in Tallahassee either don’t care and/or don’t know; and, this is the real crux of a terrible situation.
The movers and shakers have their next usual suspect lined up and we are primed for more of the same… sweetheart deals to cronies (campaign treasurer), looking the other way, and serving thy self at the expense of the taxpayers…
It is troubling that Gillum threatens a citizen asking questions with legal action. This is a character flaw which usually manifests into misusing their position to escape accountability.
Gillum’s true colors are finally showing through. We don’t need another divisive Mayor in Tallahassee.
Does TR have any information regarding Mr. Gillums employer that it stands for any philosophy or political objective that is contrary to the best interests of Tallahassee? Please publish any correspondence, including any questions, regarding his employment directed to Mr. Gillum. Also a copy of his threat to initiate legal action against TR would be informative.
TR investigative efforts should be pursued and applauded so long as there is a reasonable basis to to believe questionable activity or a conflict of interest by Mr Gillum exists.
People for the American way is a far left, radical lobbying organization that has Marxist and Cloward-Piven ties to economic and political philosophy. Their employees (Gillum being one of them) reflect those philosophies. Need to read up on them. Too lengthy to print here.
The so-called community organizer in chief’s destruction of the fabric of the Republic should be example enough for all to be very concerned about a miniature version in the form of a local politician. What we have with this People for the American Way is an incubator of thousands of Obama lookalikes, all carefully growing in a political machine environment, learning the Marxist ways of their instructors. The People for the American Way group is not just an extreme leftist organization but it stands for everything opposite to Traditional America and the Founding Principles. The organization swims in schemes and stealth funding, its real purpose hidden from the public, funded by a very dangerous George Soros. No telling what some intense investigation would uncover concerning this local political machine, its cogs and the tentacles that reach from the bowels of radical groups to yes, lil ol Tallahassee.
It’s amazing… grab a screenshot of pfaw.org before it is changed…
He served (past-tense) as Field Organizer and statewide Director of the “Arrive With 5” program with People For the American Way Foundation.
But the website clearly shows him as Director of Youth Leadership Programs for PFAW.