The former Democratic chair of the Federal Election Commission is blasting Republican commissioners for gridlock and morale problems at the agency, complaining that they blocked spending for her Mariachi staff party.
Commissioner Ann M. Ravel told the website WhoWhatWhy that Republicans were to blame for a lack of action on Democratic initiatives. She made headlines recently for considering regulating conservative websites like the Drudge Report.
She said that when she took the chair, last year, she moved to boost morale which she claimed was low at the time. Her ideas: renting out a nearby theater for staff to gather and a party with a Mariachi band.
From WhoWhatWhy:
“I wanted to have more [forums] but my fellow commissioners refused to agree to pay for it,” complained Ravel. “We had to pay a couple thousand dollars at a theater down the street to hold all the staff and they refused to pay for it.”
To raise employee spirits, Ravel spent her own money to throw a mariachi party with a live band for the staff. The rest of the commissioners had balked at using agency funds for such morale-building — despite the fact that the FEC showed a budget surplus at the end of the year.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
