Dear Editor,
Intrigued why a 78-year-old self-characterized “good Republican” would want to challenge an incumbent who has worked hard for District 11 and has shown leadership in rising to chair the Natural Resources Committee, I turned to the Internet.
From (Pete) McCloskey’s April 14 filing with the FEC, only three of the 168 contributions were from this area. One was from Margee M. Ensign, UOP Dean of Students, $500, a Democrat who had planned to run against Pombo, but dropped out. The other two were from McCloskey himself, a loan of $50,000 from the candidate himself who is renting a room at 7150 Realty Road in Lodi from good Democrats. Also from that address was a maximum contribution of $2,100 from Helen V. Hooper who turns out to be McCloskey’s wife.
In McCloskey’s vicious hit piece on Pombo, he sanctimoniously said he was not accepting any PAC money. He doesn’t need it when he can get 527 money. In fact, he formed a 527 group “Revolt of the Elders,” filing a report June 6, 2005, from his home in Rumsey, Calif., where he has a ranch in Yolo County. There were seven contributors, and he gave $9,000 to the 527 and Helen H. McCloskey, of the same address, gave $5,000.
Most of his contributors were from the San Francisco Bay area and some from doctors and lawyers all over the United States. My conclusions are that he is a stalking horse for the Democrats and his support comes from the radical element of the environmentalists. McCloskey coauthored the Endangered Species Act and this group doesn’t want any improvements or changes to it.
Pombo originally ran to change the ESA because the unintended consequences of this law have caused a tremendous conflict with landowners and local communities. Congress needs to update and modernize the ESA to strengthen its results for species recovery and by turning conflict into cooperation.
Can McCloskey even vote for himself? Surely renting a room doesn’t constitute bona fide residence. And as for restoring ethics to Congress, the carpetbagger should start with himself.
Phyllis Roche, Lodi
