A few months after carrying $50 million in spending measures for Christopher Newport University in the General Assembly, Del. Phil Hamilton got a nice boost from CNU President Paul Trible: a fundraising letter on his behalf, sent out on CNU stationery.
The May 29 letter, an invitation to an event at the Kingsmill home of Newport News lawyer Donald Patten, cited Hamilton's seniority and influence on budgetary and other matters in the legislature.
"It is important that those of us who live in Williamsburg and the Peninsula do all we can to retain Phil's strong voice and leadership in Richmond," Trible wrote.
Trible now says he made a mistake. "I obviously wasn't thinking," he said Thursday. Even though he paid for the mailing himself, he said, "I should not have used stationery with the CNU name for a political purpose."
But he makes no apologies for supporting Hamilton, then or now.
Since the spring fundraiser in Kingsmill, Hamilton has become the target of investigations by a House of Delegates ethics panel and a federal grand jury over revelations that he was lobbying for a job at Old Dominion University in 2007 while he was securing the state appropriation that funded the position.
ODU canceled Hamilton's $40,000-a-year contract in August after the details of the deal became known, and he is now in a tough battle with Newport News attorney Robin Abbott, a Democrat, in Tuesday's election.
Abbott outraised Hamilton by more than 4 to 1 in the most recent reporting period, Oct. 1-21, receiving $114,211 in contributions to Hamilton's $27,442, according to the Virginia Public Access Project, a nonprofit group that tracks political donations. Each candidate has raised more than $450,000 over the course of the campaign.
Trible, a former Republican congressman and U.S. senator who earns $351,475 as CNU president, has given fellow Republican Hamilton $5,775 in political contributions since 2006. His most recent gift to Hamilton was on Sept. 21.
"I have been involved in politics and government all of my life," Trible said. "But now as president of CNU, it's important that I not engage broadly in partisan affairs, and I do not. I do support the local members of the General Assembly who are personal friends and great champions of CNU."
He noted that he also has contributed to the campaigns of Del. Glenn Oder, a Republican, and state Sen. John Miller, a Democrat. His gifts to them were more modest: $500 to Miller and $250 to Oder. Both are relatively junior lawmakers who do not have seats on Assembly committees that shape the state budget.
Hamilton, by contrast, is the ranking Republican on the House Appropriations Committee and one of a select group of lawmakers who hammer out the final details of the budget.
In a tough budget year, Hamilton's track record in the 2009 Assembly wasn't bad. Of the $50 million in CNU-related spending measures he introduced, $10 million made it into the final budget, including $4 million for an alumni house and $3 million for the Paul and Rosemary Trible Library.
Why was Trible more generous to Hamilton than to other local lawmakers?
"Phil is one of the most knowledgeable and effective members of the General Assembly, and he is in a battle for his life," Trible said. "So his friends need to stand with him."
Hamilton's wife, Kim, earned $91,950 last year as a fundraiser for the private CNU Educational Foundation, according to its federal tax return.
Abbott, Hamilton's opponent, jumped on the Trible fundraising letter, calling it "just the latest example of Phil Hamilton working for himself instead of the people of the 93rd District." If elected, she promised to introduce legislation tightening the Assembly's ethics rules.
There was nothing illegal about Trible's letter. There is no Virginia equivalent of the Hatch Act, the law that prevents federal employees from engaging in partisan politics.
It's a matter of appearances, said James "Jay" Joseph, rector of CNU's governing Board of Visitors.
"I think if he had it to do over again, he would use his personal stationery," Joseph said. "And I would encourage him to use his personal stationery in the future. But I don't see it as any major breach."
As a matter of fact, Trible said, he doesn't own any stationery without the CNU name on it. But he's ordering some this week.
Bill Sizemore, (757) 446-2276, bill.sizemore@pilotonline.com
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Hamilton
It does not matter what the "timing" is, it comes out it comes out. They are all wasting our money, no matter when the article is published. Politicians that line their own pockets need to be taught that is not legal and they should be punished, regardless of what other things they do that are legal.
Sorry, I stole your money Mr. Banker, I will give it back and we can walk away friends...I don't think so. What gives Hamilton the right to do illegal things and then justify it by the non-illegal things he has done?
Put lawbreakers in jail and if he has broken the law, put him in jail. Trible says "he, (Hamilton) is in the fight of his life. How about the soldiers overseas that are in the "fight for their life" How can the President of a college equate Hamilton with someone who puts their lives on the line, soldiers, police, security forces, etc.? Trible, wake up!!
Hamilton
Phil Hamilton knows more about how to craft a state budget than most of the other 99 Delegates who serve in the VA General Assembly. He serves not just on the Appropriations Committee but serves all of his constituents in the Hampton Roads area. Obviously his efforts have helped both CNU and ODU...as well as the other public institutions in the area. Helping friends is not supposed to be a crime. I would bet Mr. Hamilton and his wife together do not make the kind of money or have the same perks as the presidents of our VA institutions. The Peninsula lost a great deal when they voted out Senator Hunter Andrews ( a Democrat), who at the time was the chair of the Senate Finance Committee. He too knew how to craft a budget and continued to help a Republican even after he lost his seat. If you want the world to be fair, you live on the wrong planet.
Timing is everything!
"May 29 letter,"
"His most recent gift to Hamilton was on Sept. 21."
---------------------------------------------
Am I the only one who questions whose pocket this article has been hiding in, waiting for the perfect time to STRIKE?
Quite convenient that this is appears 4 days Prior to the Elections?
It is such a waste of space, since we ALL know that MANY of our elected Representatives, whether Republican or Democrat, tend to have their dirty laundry!
It's a bit sad that so many the "bad boys" tend to run for Office?
In any event, great campaign plug for the Democrats?
Too much time and work to post the Democrat "bad boys!"
Not needed anyway! :)
GO BOB!
"Am I the only one who questions whose pocket this article has
been hiding in?"
Maybe this article but certainly not the curious timing of some of the others that cast the Repubs in a bad light. Just the other day I mentioned it in one of my rants.
(Not that I care they're skewering Repubs, if the charges are true. I say more power to the Pilot - that's the role they're supposed to play. What bugs me though is they usually turn a blind eye to most of the criminal behaviour/ethics violations by the Dems, i.e. they rarely bother running articles detrimental to them no matter how egregious the violation, especially at the Federal level.)
Oh no
the conspiracy. It's all about who wants to win, not who breaks the law, is it? Do you ever see something wrong with any republican who takes the party line?
I'm just wondering
where all the anti-government, kick-out-the-scum, search out every bit of nepotism conservatives are on this story? Kick out dems for chicanery, but certainly not repugnants. Ah, the sweet smell of partisan politics!
C'mon charlesr
read ALL the posts. I'm damn sure not on the Left & I didn't cut him any slack. I believe there were others, as well.
From what I've seen & read, it's only hard Left Dems who get up in arms over criminality & ethics violations in government, provided it isn't a fellow Dem getting caught.
dennisp
"I suspect he WAS thinking - about all the perks he could buy with such a lump of taxpayer money." This was your statement, the only one I could find before mine. Not exactly the same tenor as you use with the dems, is it? Now, if it had been, say, the pres of NSU writing a letter on NSU letterhead for Joannou, Miller, Spruill you would have been right here demanding her resignation and talking about the corruption of the Dems. In my opinion, if such had happened she should have resigned, and Trible and Hamilton should too.
Hey Charlesr
I don't think there are many folks out there reading these things who want to plod through any more previously plowed ground than they have to.
Why repeat what someone has adequately expressed? (That's why they went to those thumbs up/down icons & you have no idea how many or which "thumb's up" icons I hit on this article, to show my full concurrence.)
I absolutely agree that if ethics violations occurred in this case (and I'm convinced they did) the perp(s) should be held accountable & suffer consequences commensurate with the violation(s).
So tell me Charles, can you honestly state that more than a very few of you hold your fellow Dems accountable or express any outrage when your guys are caught?
Can you likewise state that you honestly feel The Pilot, which seems to miss few chances to bring us the stories of criminal & ethical challenges on the Republican side (BTW, you do know I'm NOT a Repub, don't you?) does the same when it comes to Dems (sorry, throwing Mayor Holley under the bus isn't enough.)
I provided a response to a fellow poster recently with an article by a non-partisan source that showed an almost 4 to 1 ratio of Dems to Repubs in Congre
end of comment
. . . . . with an article by a non-partisan source that showed an almost 4 to 1 ratio of Dems to Repubs in Congress currently under ethics & criminal investigations. Fairness would dictate that at least a few Dems & their supporters would be on these posts calling for the scalps of these skunks, but I don't recall reading them.
I like to think it's because they're unaware, but even when made aware, they don't seem to care.
Paul Trible
Paul Trible not thinking?
What's new?
I also think Hamilton is
I also think Hamilton is probably corrupt, but those are a lot of accusations to throw around and borderline libelous.
I don't blame Trible; raising money from the private sector and milking the state for as much as he can is his job. He does it well as did Runte at ODU.
"I obviously wasn't thinking"
And this is a surprise? Or perhpas this is considered news? Whatever...business as usual.
I want my kids to grow up to be university presidents!
Carolyn Meyers, Norfolk State University: $285,000. Paul Trible, Christopher Newport University: $351,000. I guess I've been out of the loop for the last few years. I had no idea they were pulling down those chunks of change. And these universities are considered relatively "small time."
Certainly a nice pay out
It also takes years of hard work and top knotch interpersonal skills to acquire the qualifications. If your kids have it, I would have them look into the career path as well.
It is certainly at the top of the food chain in the career of fundraising, but it pays about the same as the top of the food chain in most other fields as well, more than teaching and city management, less than medicine, business, or law.
I don't know about the president of NSU, but I can tell you Trible is a top notch fund raiser, as was Runte at ODU. Certainly nothing I could do.
Trible throws Hamilton an anchor
But Trible is not sorry for supporting Hamilton cuz Hamilton was essential for raking in the cashmoney for Paul's school... all the while Hamilton was lobbying for a job at said school. Wasnt there a time when people WERE sorry for such chicanery? Miraculously, Hamilton got the job! Which isnt far fetched, cuz the school was only considering applicants named "Hamilton" with years of budget committee experience at the state gubmint level. With such a small applicant pool, ODU had no choice.
If The Voters Don't Kick Hamilton Out...
...as my mother used to say, "it's their own dang fault."
“I obviously wasn’t thinking,” he said today
I suspect he WAS thinking - about all the perks he could buy with such a lump of taxpayer money.
I always enjoy seeing my
I always enjoy seeing my esteemed alma mater in the news. *sigh*
What??
"Trible, a former Republican congressman and U.S. senator who earns $351,475 as CNU president." Did I miss something?? When was Trible a US Senator?