In addition to the $70,567 fine (which Ms. Fields can be held personally liable), the Campaign Finance Board wants the Fields campaign to return $337,340 in overpaid public matching funds.

According to the CFB, if the additional money is not returned, they may publicize the campaign's recalcitrance on the CFB web site, and they may seek the money through the filing of a civil action in court.

More over, Ms. Fields would be ineligible to receive any additional public matching funds should she ever run for an office under the jurisdiction of the NYC Campaign Finance Board (does not include state or federal offices).

Ms. Fields claimed she could be a responsible steward of the NYC 50 billion budget. However, the audit shows an apparent slothness in keeping track of multiple $10 expenditures.

The audit reflects her lack of fiscal acumen and bad organization. Over and over again, the audit cites the Fields campaign for failure to document expenditures and contributions and failure to submit required documentation to the CFB auditors.

After reading through the audit, one wonders why the fine was only $70,000.

The audit (74 pages in PDF format) may be downloaded here, or at the NYC Campaign Finance Board web site.

CFB ASSESSES PENALTIES AGAINST EIGHT CANDIDATES
For immediate release

July 20, 2007 -- During a regularly scheduled meeting today, the Campaign Finance Board assessed separate penalties against eight campaigns.

Penalties were assessed against six City Council candidates from the 2005 election: Alicka Ampry-Samuel, William Boyland, James Gennaro, Eric Gioia, Joyce Johnson and James Sanders. Penalties were also assessed against one 2005 candidate for Bronx borough president, Adolfo Carrion, and C. Virginia Fields, a 2005 candidate for mayor. For a complete list, see below.

Candidate	Office	Violation	Assessed Penalty	Total Assessed Penalties
Fields, C. Virginia (2005)	Mayor	Failure to respond to Draft Audit in a timely fashion (112 days late)	$43,800	$70,567
		$15,050 over-the-limit contribution	$10,000
		$2,550 over-the-limit contribution	$2,800
		$1,050 over-the-limit contribution	$1,300
		$50 over-the-limit contribution	$300
		Failing to report in-kind contributions	$550
		Failing to adequately document in-kind contributions	$200
		Filing Statement 3 (1) day late	$400
		Filing Statement 5 (1) day late	$400
		Failing to report, or demonstrate the absence of, subcontractors	$750
		$57,272 in non-campaign related and impermissible post-election expenditures	$5,727
		5.90% monetary disbursements variance	$1,000
		Failing to report a transfer	$50
		Maintaining a petty cash fund balance in excess of $500	$250
		Failing to file contemporaneous pre-election disclosure statements	$250
		Failing to document expenditures	$250
		Failing to submit a family member information form	$50
		Corporate contributions	$1,040
		"Single-source" over-the-limit contributions	$1,250
		Failing to provide a signed intermediary statement	$200

]]> tag:virginiafields.com,2007://1.109 2007-07-21T14:35:51Z 2007-07-21T14:53:05Z

After many months of hiding, C. Virginia Fields emerged yesterday on national television pretending to spar with NBC's Chris Matthews really soft questions. We almost forgot how horrible the Fields' screech could be, but there it was pandering away on behalf of Hillary Clinton (who herself is no stranger to pandering).

Matthews focused on the so-called Showdown in Selma, and, of the two leading contenders for the 2008 Democratic nomination -- Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, which had the most-forced Southern drawl and who was able to out-Negro the other. Watching Hillary Clinton mimic a Southern drawl on the traditional spiritual "I don't Feel No Ways Tired" is hilarious.

We're presuming that NBC pays Hardball staffers considerable salaries to come up with hard-hitting questions for Matthews to ask his guests, such as:

• Why was it important for Clinton to attend? (perhaps a trick why-did-the-chicken-cross-the-road question designed just for C. Virginia Fields, maybe she was prepped. She got it right: because 'she's running for President')
• Who had the most effective performance? (not answered)
• Do you believe Hillary Clinton can hold her own against Barack Obama in the black community? (not answered)

Perhaps taking a dig at Hillary Clinton, but equally applicable to C. Virginia Fields, Matthews' other guest, Selma Congressman Artur Davis said the black community has "...a lot of experience with politicians over the last fifteen years who became famous, but who didn't have a progressive agenda..."

Concluding the interview, Matthews whoops to Fields, "In fact the Clinton Campaign designated YOU as their spokesperson for tonight's program..." If we were Hillary supporters, we would start praying.

For an audio capture of the exchange (mp3), go here. For the transcript, see after the jump.

For a serious look at the historical importance of the Selma March, go here.

You're watching HARDBALL on MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MATTHEWS: Welcome back to HARDBALL.

The two top Democrats running for president and former President Bill Clinton paid tribute at an important civil rights anniversary Sunday in Selma, Alabama.

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both gave speeches, then walked with activists, who 42 years ago were attacked by police during a peaceful voting rights march, known today as Bloody Sunday.

Congressman Artur Davis of Alabama invited Senator Obama to the gathering. And Virginia Fields, the civil rights activist who marched with Hillary on Sunday.

Good evening to both of you. Thank you for joining us.

Let me go - let me - Virginia, you didn`t get to hear Senator Clinton`s speech, so here`s a piece of Hillary Clinton speaking in Selma yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, D-NEW YORK, DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE:

And I want to begin by giving praise to the Almighty. "I don`t feel no ways tired."

(APPLAUSE)

"I come too far from where I started from. Nobody told me that the road would be easy."

(APPLAUSE)

I could have listened all afternoon. That pulse and the chair of all the mayors in the country, Mayor Palmer from Trenton, New Jersey.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEWS: Thank you much.

Virginia, why was it important for Mrs. Clinton to come down there? I understood that Barack Obama had an invitation.

Why did Mrs. Clinton go down to Selma yesterday?

C. VIRGINIA FIELDS, FORMER MANHATTAN BOROUGH PRESIDENT: Can you imagine what would have been said had she not been there?

She`s running for president, and she`s fully committed to issues of civil rights, and this is not a new thing for her.

And her being there I think was extremely important, because this is an important event in the life and the history of the civil rights movement.

So, she is a candidate for president. And to be at an event such as this, I thought was critically important.

MATTHEWS: Let me go to Congressman Davis. What did you make of the battle yesterday? It was like the battle of the bands. They`re both there. Both candidates, both frontrunners.

Barack Obama gave quite a speech.

By the way, how did he learn to talk like a Southern Baptist? The guy`s got the cadence, the roll and everything. How did he learn to do that?

REP. ARTUR DAVIS, D-ALABAMA: Well, you know, Barack Obama`s a great speaker. And when you come South, your drawl always comes out.

I thought it was a great day. I was very proud as a native son of Alabama. Selma happens to be in the heart of my district, and I had the honor of introducing Senator Obama at both of his talks yesterday. And I was also very proud as a Democrat.

Bill Clinton said something to the crowd at the very end yesterday. He said, this is going to be the rare election where we get to actually vote for someone instead of voting against someone.

That`s how I feel about this field now. It`s going to be the best field, in my opinion, since 1960. And I was glad to see my state at the epicenter of it yesterday for about five hours.

MATTHEWS: Mrs. Fields, let me ask you about the politics of this.

Both of these people are running for president of the United States.

Who do you think had the most effective performance before the people in Selma yesterday, and on international television?

FIELDS: I thought, too, it was a tremendous event. And while I was not at the church when Senator Clinton spoke, I have seen the clippings and talked to others, and everyone thought she did a phenomenal job because not only did she speak to her commitment to issues of Civil Rights and other concerns within the black community, but also what she has done, what she is doing now and the future.

So I thought that her speech was tremendous, and I thought she was very well received. I did march with her, and the cries and the shouts from the people who were there, Hillary, Hillary, wanting to take pictures, all showed tremendous admiration for her. So I thought it was a very important time to be there, and I`m glad that she was there.

MATTHEWS: I`m struck, Congressman, by the rapidity with which Barack Obama has introduced himself to America, especially African-America, if that`s the right term, so quickly moving up in the polls, so quickly asserting his heritage, even though he has a mixed heritage, as an African-American. How did he do it so fast?

DAVIS: This is what`s happened. I think. Three or four months ago, all the black community knew was that Senator Obama was popular and attractive. Over the last several months, he started to talk in detail about his passion for universal health insurance, his passion for universal college access. And what`s happened is that the black community has realized he has a progressive agenda, and that`s what resonates in the black community.

Now, the black community has a lot of experience with politicians over the last 15 (ph) years who became famous but who didn`t have a progressive agenda.

MATTHEWS: Did they also had to get a look at him, to be blunt, to realize he is one of-he is...

DAVIS: Oh, they had to hear him. They had to hear...

(CROSSTALK)

MATTHEWS: ... he fits in the group.

DAVIS: Sure. Of course.

MATTHEWS: I mean, he`s not some guy that claims to have been African-American or...

DAVIS: Look, Chris, even more important than that, they needed to hear him. They needed to hear him talking about a progressive set of values.

MATTHEWS: Yes.

DAVIS: And they heard that yesterday in Selma. The enthusiasm for Barack Obama in Alabama is off the charts now, in the black and the progressive white community.

MATTHEWS: OK, let me go to Mrs. Fields. Thank you for joining us, Mrs. Fields. Do you believe that Hillary Clinton can hold her own against Barack Obama in the black community?

FIELDS: I have worked with Hillary Clinton. I know of her commitment to the black community, as well as others, and this is not new for her. And I think at the end, people do want to know, Who is going to be the best person to move forward the agenda on universal health care, health care disparities, education, eliminating poverty? And Hillary Clinton has been fully committed and with real results in all of those areas.

That is part of why I have chosen to support Hillary, and I will be doing all that I can, including in my home state of Alabama, working for Mrs. Clinton.

MATTHEWS: Well, good for you. In fact, the Clinton campaign designated you as their spokesperson for tonight`s program, and I appreciate them for doing that. And thank you. U.S. Congressman Artur Davis, and of course, Mrs. Fields.

Up next, more on the Walter Reed tragedy with retired general Barry McCaffrey, Marine sergeant Todd Bowers, spokesman for the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, and Annette McLeod, whose husband was wounded in the war. You`re watching HARDBALL on MSNBC.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

As sure-as-shootin' that Monica Lewinsky will be at the top of Bill Clinton's obit, so too Photo-gate (or Fields-gate) will take prominent space in the eventual obituary for Clara Virginia Fields.

Not the first, doubtful the last and perhaps not the most egregious in its use, Fields-Photo-gate is known for the utter stupidity in the way the candidate (Virginia Fields) handled the disclosure and political fallout of the flap. But like the memorable Barry White song, with Fields, Photo-gate is the first, the last, the everything.

Even the right-wing Slant Point commented, "...if the Fields campaign had any intelligence, they'd simply follow Madison Avenue and hire the right colorful actors to all appear in the same shot. The end result is the same - forced diversity - but at least you'd avoid the fallout from photo fixing."

Or as Politics and Technology said, "Once again, people, don't do this."

Perhaps like Watergate, it wasn't so much the crime as it was the cover-up that mattered.

So it didn't surprise anyone when the Observer referred to a similar incident as "Virginia Fields-esque problem."

See the full article after the jump.

SANTA ANA, Calif. (AP) -- A candidate for Orange County's Board of Supervisors is defending himself after a doctored photograph placing him near Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at a press event appeared in two Vietnamese-language newspapers over the weekend.

The photo, taken in August in Little Saigon, shows candidate Trung Nguyen wearing a blue suit and standing slightly behind and to the left of the governor. A video of that day on Schwarzenegger's Web site shows Nguyen wasn't standing anywhere near the governor as he spoke from a podium.

The photograph ran over the weekend in two dailies, the Vien Dong and Viet Bao Kinh Te, in Little Saigon, the largest Vietnamese community outside of Southeast Asia.

Saulo Londono, Nguyen's campaign manager, blamed a volunteer for the doctored photo, which was created by pasting a photo of Nguyen's head to another man's body. Londono said the volunteer, who he declined to name, had been removed from the campaign.

"There are multiple pictures of Trung at that event with Arnold Schwarzenegger," Londono said Tuesday. "There are so many pictures that volunteer should have used instead and we're conducting an investigation into why the real photo wasn't used."

Schwarzenegger's office was upset by the altered image but wasn't taking any action against Nguyen. The circulation of the doctored photo was reported Sunday by a local conservative blog called Red County.

"It's clearly unauthorized, it's not something we knew anything about," said Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger's press secretary. "There are strict policies that we have when it comes to the use of the governor's image, but it's our understanding that they've taken steps to rectify it so the problem solved itself."

The controversy comes at a bad time for Nguyen, a school board member and attorney who is running in a 10-way race to replace Lou Correa, who resigned after winning a state Senate seat in November. Voters from the district, which includes Westminster, Santa Ana and Garden Grove, go to the polls Feb. 6.

The photo was discovered Saturday by a campaign worker for Garden Grove Councilwoman Janet Nguyen, who is fighting Trung Nguyen for support among Vietnamese-American voters. The Nguyens are not related.

The original photo was taken months ago, when Schwarzenegger appeared in Little Saigon to sign an executive order that allows the flag of the former South Vietnam to be used at state-sponsored events.

On the Net:
Trung Nguyen's campaign: http://www.trungnguyen.us/

As indicated from our January 22 report, C. Virginia Fields and her campaign committees were required to submit reports on January 15, 2007 updating contributions received, expenditures and other details. To date they have not done so, making them almost two weeks late.

So did they just forget? According to the New York State Board of Elections, a letter was scheduled to go out to Milton Wilson, Treasurer of the Fields' campaigns on or around January 22nd, reminding him of the January 15th deadline, and giving him five days to comply.

While the NYS BOE was not able to clarify if the sky would fall after five days, they did say that if Ms. Fields' non-compliance was not resolved within a few weeks, there could be escalating fines and other penalties.

Not only would they be required the pay the fines and other costs associated with the non-compliance, reported the Board of Elections, they would ultimately have to file the report as well.

Candidates and their committees must file two kinds of reports: Periodic Reports are due January 15th and July 15th every year as long as the committee exists and until the committee is properly terminated.

In addition, if the candidate is Active (running for office), they must file up to six reports prior to and after the primary and general elections. While Ms. Fields is not currently a candidate for any office, there is speculation that she might be one in the future. After all, what else has she ever done besides run for office? She doesn't run a business. She doesn't sell toxic sludge (despite the inference below). She's a political hack, and unless she panders to people, she will wither in obscurity and irrelevance.

According to the New York State Board of Elections, Ms. Fields and her committees are in violation for failing to file the required January 2007 periodic report that would detail contributions and expenses. This is a serious violation that if not corrected shortly, would lead to the state agency filing an Order to Show Cause and obtaining a legal judgment for escalating fines.

There hasn't been much news about Ms. Fields lately, but perhaps these two recent reports can provide insight to the confusion that may (or may not) exist.

"I dont understand the BAN - I'm not advertising I'm looking to speak to someone from Virginia as I'm moving there shorty and looking for some information on Virginia Fields etc ... I think I just explained everything there... If there is anyone from Virginia, could you please PM as i need some help Locating some of the Paintball sites over there and have a few questions about what paintball is like over there."

-- from Looking for Virginia Ballers

and of course this is our favorite which puts her political career in context:

"Biosolids have been the source of controversy for years. We are talking about sewer sludge. It is usually shipped in from New York and New Jersey. It's then used to fertilize Virginia fields."

-- from Some lawmakers want better regulations for biosolids

One result of the Democrats taking the house of Representatives hits home: Harlem congressman Charlie Rangel will assume the chair of the powerful Ways and Means Committee -- for which he has been waiting for thirty years. But earlier this year, perhaps in a moment of despair, the 76 year-old Rangel said that if the Democrats did not take the House, he would retire.

Oh, No!

Now Charlie Rangel isn't our favorite politician by any means, but his continued presence does keep Virginia Fields out of elective office. Were he to retire, Harlem could experience a sea-change in the political line-up.

Some see Fields as the natural successor to Rangel's seat (and held by Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. until 1972). Fields is considered a political protege of the Harlem clubhouse whose powerhouse members include Rangel , former mayor David Dinkens, Basil Paterson and Percy Sutton.

But Rangel is quite spry for his 76 years and he may stay in Congress as long as the Democrats hold on to the majority and even then until they carry him out on a stretcher. No one expects him to retire any time soon, which of course means C. Virginia Fields just sits and waits.

When Rangel does retire, there will be plenty of competition for his seat, including a flock of up-and-coming politicians of the next generation -- now ranging from their 30's to early 50's.

- Bill Perkins was just elected to the New York State Senate seat that Fields had coveted. He's not going anywhere soon, but could run for Congress when the seat opens.

- Assemblymember Keith Wright is ensconced in his seat, but some see him also wanting the Rangel seat.

- Not to forget Assemblymember Adam Clayton Powell, IV, who could come back from relative obscurity to claim what he will undoubtedly characterize as the family seat (he had unsuccessfully challenged Rangel for the seat in 1994).

And that's just the established politicians. Younger hacks in their 30's are also testing the political waters.

So Virginia Fields may not have a lock on the seat if and when it opens up. Moreover, she's getting older, and older and older. She has been out of office for over a year and that's a lifetime in politics. People forget who you are.

From her two recent campaigns, she may not have the proverbial fire in the belly. She may not be able to garner union and political club support, and most importantly, she may not be able to raise the cash for what would be a nasty primary.

Of course stranger things have happened. Some of us remember that Dick Nixon came back in 1968 after losing to Kennedy in 1960 and the California Gubernatorial race in 1962. Vigilance is needed.

Chances are that Virginia Fields (no not that Virginia Fields) had that in mind when she ran for office using the name "Ginny Fields."

Yes folks, there are two Virginia Fields in New York elective politics and Ginny Fields (right) is still in office, in the New York State Assembly representing communities from Long Island. Now using the name Ginny, her constituents in Suffolk County (where she was a member of the Suffolk County Legislature before being elected to the State Assembly) have in the past known her as Virginia.

See here, here, here and here.

According to the Political Graveyard and many news reports, C. Virginia Fields was born August 4, 1946 making her 60 on August 4, 2006.

But campaign watchers remember her well-publicised 60th Birthday Fund Raising bash on August 4, 2005 ... when she would have been only 59 years old!

"Please join me on Monday, August 8, 2005 as I celebrate my fabulous 60th birthday ... Tickets start at $160 per person ... As I mark this milestone year, my life experiences and time in government have shaped my vision of making New York City a city of inclusion and opportunity for all New Yorkers." So read the invitation.

Why the lie? Some may think that some women lie about their age, but that's usually to make them appear younger, not older as in this case. Perhaps a fund raising event would not have been so interesting if it was for boring old 59 years.

Just a little fib. Just like Photo-gate (but she can't blame Joe Mercurio on this one). And she wanted to be Mayor. Balls Balls Balls.

"In the first two days of the transit strike, only emergency vehicles were allowed on Fifth and Madison avenues under Mayor Bloomberg's contingency plan. Those rules apparently applied to all Manhattan drivers except the borough's president, C. Virginia Fields, according to our City Hall correspondent Stefan C. Friedman. An eagle-eyed spy caught Fields, the former mayoral hopeful who will be term-limited out of office in fewer than 10 days, sitting in the back of her city car as her driver took her down Fifth Avenue last Wednesday with "every one of the lights going." The emergency? Fields was "doing an assessment of how the transit strike was impacting the businesses on Fifth, Madison and First Avenues," according to spokesman Charles Walker. We eagerly await Fields' report before she moves out of city government on Jan. 1."