| Congressional District 22 candidate Shelley Sekula Gibbs is being accused by fellow Republican Pete Olson of spending “extravagantly” during her brief tenure as a member of the U.S. House.
Sekula Gibbs and Olson are in a runoff election to determine the Republican nominee to the November general election. The winner will take on Democratic incumbent Nick Lampson.
Olson's campaign on Wednesday released to reporters what it characterized as Sekula Gibbs' “reckless” spending of taxpayers' dollars in late 2006. Sekula Gibbs won a special election in November 2006 to fill the unexpired term of former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, who had resigned from the office.
Sekula Gibbs' term lasted from Nov. 8, 2006, to Jan. 2, 2007, with Congress on break for much of the already-short tenure. Nevertheless, Olson's campaign claims Sekula Gibbs managed to spend $183,000 in that time, which it said was disproportionate to the spending of other members of the U.S. House.
Among those expenses, they say, is $76,963.22 to create and send a mass-mail piece to residents of the district.
Amy Goldstein, the spokeswoman for Olson's campaign, said by comparison, Texas Democrat Al Green of District 9 spent $28,000 in mail expenses for an entire year, while District 14 Republican Ron Paul spent $42,000 in a year.
Goldstein also noted travel expenses costing $1,300 on Nov. 8, Sekula Gibbs' first day in office.
“So the first thing she did was party on the taxpayers dime? So she's positioning herself to be a fiscal conservative, and she's really not,” said Goldstein.
Sekula Gibbs' campaign manager, C.B. Currier, told the Associated Press that Olson's descriptions of the spending were incorrect. He said Sekula Gibbs returned $20,000 to taxpayers from her personal office.
‘‘Olson's desperation and hypocrisy show through in every charge he makes. This is certainly no exception,'' Currier said in an e-mail.
As for the mass-mailing, Currier said that falls within the spending range of other House members.
‘‘Members of Congress are expected to keep their constituents informed of information relevant to those they represent,'' he said.
Early voting in the runoff starts Monday, March 31, and runs through Friday, April 4. The official day of voting is Tuesday, April 8.
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