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JOHN FICHTER: IN BED WITH THE DEVELOPERS,
CAUSING URBAN BLIGHT AND SUBURBAN SPRAWL
DECEMBER 11, 2004:
For the final (Cycle 6) campaign finance report fo the 2004 Election season, John Fichter has filed an amended Campaign Finance Report which corrects several of the VIOLATIONS OF CAMPAIGN FINANCE REPORTING LAWS BY REP. JOHN FICHTER IN 2004 CAMPAIGN noted in my letter to him dated December 5, 2004. It was interesting that a 6-term incumbent still would need two chances to reveal his financing in accordance with the law.
On his amended report, he still fails to account for robo-call expenses, and fails to note the occupation and employer of his largest contributors, including Sparango (a residential housing developer), John Granahan, Jr. (owner of Quaker Homes, a residential housing developer), and Timothy Hendricks (owner of TH Properties, a residential housing developer), who was his largest individual contributor this cycle at $1,000. Mr. Fichter also received a significant percentage of his campaign funding from Housing Developer lobbying groups.
Mr. Fichter claimed in his closing campaign pieces to be a proponent of property tax reduction and protection of open space. However, his reelection was supported primarily by developers. The agenda of the developers is to reduce obstacles to development of open space, reduce regulations that protect our environment from development stormwater and wastewater mismanagement, and reduce or eliminate development impact fees which help offset property tax rises to help cover the costs to local schools, roads, sewers and other infrastructure imposed on communities by overdevelopment. The fact that Mr. Fichter's campaign support comes almost entirely from Special Interests like these developers, rather than from his constituents, shows that he is on the side of those who will increase property taxes, increase urban blight, increase suburban sprawl, degrade our environment, increase traffic congestion, and hurt the quality of life in our district.
Don't let Mr. Fichter fool you when he throws a bone to your local Little League with a few thousand dollars from Harrisburg's pork barrel fund. You can be sure that these developers supported Mr. Fichter because they know that Mr. Fichter will represent their interests, rather than ours (the public interest).
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