For Immediate Release Contact: Pat O’Brien
September 30, 2010 501-258-0548
Pat O’Brien Questions Opponents Use of Taxpayer Funds
Rep. Martin should come clean and answer all questions
(Little Rock, Arkansas) – Pulaski Circuit/County Clerk and Secretary of State nominee, Pat O’Brien of Jacksonville, today charged that his opponent, Rep. Mark Martin, is utilizing his taxpayer subsidized business and home office as his campaign office thereby abusing the public trust and violating state law. O’Brien is demanding that Rep. Martin start answering questions of whether he crossed the line and illegally used taxpayer money for his campaign.
“Are the taxpayers of Arkansas subsidizing Rep. Martin’s campaign for Secretary of State?” asked O’Brien, “When you piece together reports from the Associated Press and BlueHogReport.com, it appears that Rep. Martin is receiving taxpayer money that pays his mortgage, his business and even his campaign. Rep. Martin has some explaining to do.”
Rep. Martin lists his campaign address as 123 N. Pittman Street, Prairie Grove, Arkansas on his Campaign Contribution and Expenditure Reports on file at the Secretary of State’s office. That address is also Rep. Martin’s home address. Rep. Martin purports to run a business titled “M3 Engineering, Inc.” The State of Arkansas reimbursed “M3 Engineering, Inc.” $16,200.00 in 2009 for “office expenses.” The invoices from that entity list 123 N. Pittman Street, Prairie Grove, Arkansas as its place of business. In short, prior to yesterday, all public documents listed 123 N. Pittman Street as the home address, business address and campaign address for Mark Martin.
On Wednesday, Rep. Martin for the first time declared that he has a separate business address. He listed this address as 9310 E. Wagon Wheel Road, Springdale, Arkansas. Records show this building is occupied by Kimbel Mechanical Systems. Kimbel Mechanical Systems donated $500.00 to the Martin campaign on July 26, 2010.
“Why did this mysterious business office suddenly appear on the same day that media sources were questioning Rep. Martin’s use of taxpayer funds for his campaign for Secretary of State,” said O’Brien, “Is this really his business office? When did it become his business office? Mark needs to answer these questions.” According to an Associated Press report, Rep. Martin claims that the Wagon Wheel address has been his business office for four years. However, when asked for an address by the reporter he had to look up the address because he did not know it offhand.
“I hope Rep. Martin does not try to use the excuse of ‘this is what everybody else does’. He is running for a statewide office and the taxpayers of Arkansas deserve a better answer than that,”said O’Brien.In stark contrast to what Rep. Martin did, Pat O’Brien opened a separate campaign office when he announced his bid for Secretary of State. The office is located at 524 N. First Street, Jacksonville, Arkansas. None of the expenses at the campaign office are connected in any way to taxpayer funds. O’Brien charged that when Rep. Martin announced his statewide bid he should have opened a separate campaign office and made the distinction between taxpayer funding and campaign funding crystal clear.
“This is now the second time in one week where Rep. Martin has been exposed for profiting off of reimbursements paid by the Arkansas taxpayer.”
If you have any questions about the press release, call Pat O’Brien at (501) 258-0548 or visit the campaign website at www.PatOBrienforArkansas.com.
