I don’t know what the deal is with both Jon Bowerbank and Del. Brian Moran hiring Del. Lionell Spruill to “get out of the vote,” but it sure seems iffy. It might be street money, it might be a straight-up quid pro quo, or it might be that Del. Spruill is such a brilliant networker that he’s worth $7,500/month as a consultant. I can’t say. But it just looks bad. Bowerbank’s campaign didn’t exactly volunteer Spruill’s position on the payroll. Tim Craig, covering the story of Spruill’s endorsement of Bowerbank, wrote:
When asked by the Washington Post, Bowerbank campaign manager John Paul Lupo admitted that it is also paying Spruill. Lupo said Spruill is being paid for “get out the vote” and “grassroots and strategic advice.” But Lupo said he’s not sure of Spruill’s salary.
The Bowerbank’s campaign reluctance to admit the nature of their relationship with Spruill that tells me that I’m not the only one who thinks this isn’t something that these campaigns want to be bragging about.
It takes a special kind of idiot to brag about an endorsement you received from someone on your payroll.