The Red Brennan Group is the self-described social welfare organization behind two initiatives on the November 3 ballot. Its mission statement, “big-hearted communities and small government” is the motivation for almost every action of The Red Brennan Group. The 501(c)4 non-profit recently strayed from that ideal, opening the door for big trouble from big government.
Red Brennan Group’s sister nonprofit, A Better Community, Inc., was set up last November to provide labor for Red Brennan projects—ballot initiative signature gathering, community canvasing, and other boots-on-the-ground work needed to win voter approval for repeal of the FP-5 fire fee and its other initiative, which would slash county supervisors annual pay from roughly $250,000 plus benefits to $60,000 total, and limit supervisors to one four-year term of service.
Reporter Mike Lipsitz picks up the story from here…
While both initiatives are in line with the “small government” aspect of The Red Brennan Group’s mission statement. But the organization strayed when it applied for, and was awarded, a $130,000 Small Business Administration loan through the Payroll Protection Plan or PPP. The $660 billion big government program was established in April to help businesses with fewer than 500 employees retain those workers during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Thousands of small businesses found themselves eligible for the program, but excluded from it are businesses primarily involved in politics. When asked about the loan restriction, Red Brennan President Tom Murphy told Z107.7 News, that if a nonprofit entity such as theirs was to be excluded “then quite frankly we missed that,” he said.
To be clear, there is no evidence the organization attempted to conceal the nature of their work or knowingly misuse the funds, but still, the violation remains.
