GovTech Solutions - Mike Connell Woman-owned small business & $28 million BushCo Connection

[1776Forever]

There is a link here from a "small woman-owned business" to a 28.8 Million $$ BushCo PFA that the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign spent nearly 10 percent of their entire budget on. - Does anyone else know more about this?

............

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=GovTech_Solutions

GovTech Solutions
From SourceWatch

GovTech Solutions is a "woman-owned, small business that specializes in Web site design, programming solutions in .NET and MS SQL databases." It provides "services to federal, state, and local government agencies and offices" and is listed on the federal General Services Administration and Ohio State Term Schedules, its website states.

(snip)

Connell told Landers that "he and his wife formed two companies because the two markets are different: New Media helps to advocate political positions, while GovTech's work provides a nonpartisan way for an office to communicate with all constituents."

"In some cases," Landers wrote, "New Media and GovTech Solutions have had contracts with the same clients. New Media might design a campaign Web site for a candidate who, once elected, would contract with GovTech to design a federally funded official site. At least four of the seven New Media clients who won House races in 2004 also used GovTech as the designer for their congressional sites."

In 2004, "New Media provided Web design services for the re-election campaign of George W. Bush, three senators and seven House members, in addition to the Republican National Committee. In all, the company took in $1.2 million for its work on the 2004 campaigns.

"By 2004, GovTech had served as Web designer for the official, federally funded Web pages of 37 members of Congress. And the following year, according to House financial statements, GovTech received more than $144,000 in business from 21 Republican House members and Republican-led committees," Landers wrote.

AND then there is a partner:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Thomas_J._Synhorst

Thomas J. Synhorst, a partner in Feather Larson & Synhorst DCI and chairman of DCI Group, is a "well-known Republican strategist." Synhorst originally founded DCI Companies, Inc. in 1988. He "has worked extensively with political and corporate clients on strategic message development and delivery." He has been referred to as the "Johhny Appleseed" of astroturf.

After the 2000 presidential election, Synhorst and Tony Feather created the Washington DC-based DCI Group with other well connected Republican lobbyists and political insiders. DCI Group considers itself a full service "grassroots" consulting firm. The group has been involved with the creation of several front groups for the Bush administration and telecommunications, pharmaceutical and computer industries.

Synhorst worked for both the 1988 and 1996 Presidential campaigns of Bob Dole. He's credited with engineering Dole's victory in the 1988 Iowa presidential caucuses. An Iowan, Synhorst had served as Sen. Charles E. Grassley's aide in the 1980s before working on Dole's campaign. In 1996, Dole's campaign employeed Synhorst's Kansas-based company Direct Connect, Inc. for campaign telemarketing. Synhorst also was affiiliated with the Mission, Kansas based Synhorst & Schraad, Inc., which was listed in Campaign & Elections Political Pages as providing telephone and direct contact services. The Kansas City Star reported in 1996 that Keith Schraad was a founder of Direct Connect.

He aslo worked on George Walker Bush's Texas gubernatorial campaign, as well as campaigns for Governor Mike Huckabee (AR), Congressman Johnny Isakson (GA), and The Republican Party of Florida, Republican Party of Iowa, and Republican Party of Arizona.<3> He was an advisor to Bush/Cheney 2000 and worked with Senator Elizabeth Dole to launch her 2002 campaign.<4>

The Associated Press reported in June 2001 that Synhorst "has been linked to South Carolina 'push polls' in the 2000 Republican primary that attacked candidate John McCain as 'a cheat, a liar and a fraud,' according to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee."

Joshua Micah Marshall wrote in July 2000: "DCI is the creation of Tom Synhorst, a Republican political operative and onetime field coordinator for the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, who first made a name for himself by helping Bob Dole pull off an upset victory over George Bush in the 1988 Iowa caucuses. In subsequent years, Synhorst remained close to Dole, but he found his real niche in phone bank work. DCI, as well as a cluster of allied companies in which Synhorst also holds an interest, has worked for the tobacco industry for most of the 1990s. In 1998, when Congress was poised to sign off on a comprehensive tobacco settlement, the industry retained both DCI and Direct Impact to engineer a coordinated campaign of grass-roots opposition to the bill. In 1999, in the wake of the Columbine school shootings, the NRA paid out more than $300,000 to DCI and another phone bank operator, Optima Direct, to rev up opposition to renewed efforts to regulate firearms."

Marshall also reports that Synhorst has often been link to Ralph Reed. And the two were suspected of running push polls against Steve Forbes' 1996 presidential campaign in Iowa.

Snyhorst has ten limited liability corporations registered in the State of Arizona under his name. They include:

* TSE Enterprises, LLC
* DCI Properties, LLC
* DCI Group, LLC
* DCIG Holdings, LLC
* FLS-DCI, LLC
* FYI Messaging, LLC
* SIJN, LLC
* Goodsijn, LLC
* Autocall, LLC
* DCI Companies, Inc.

During the 2004 election cycle, DCI Group, FLS-DCI and FYI Messaging took in $17 million from the Bush campaigns and the Republican Party according to FEC data released on October 30, 2004 and posted on the Center for Responsive Politics website. <[Progress for American, a 527 committees associated with the DCI Group, spent $2.62 million on services provide by FYI Messaging, TSE Enterprises, and DCI Group. In other words, of the $28.8 million PFA spent on the Bush-Cheney '04 campaign nearly 10 percent ended up with Synhorst's affliated LLCs.[/b>

[Ellipsis]

1. One big happy family

Connell was still in touch with the "old school politics" advocates from his past. Along with its Richfield, OH production facility, New Media maintained offices in two strategic locations. One was a Tallahassee, FL address and phone number the company shared with Tidewater Consulting. The other was the Washington, DC headquarters of the DCI Group, the scandal-plagued lobby shop run by GOP operative Thomas J. Synhorst. Just months after Bush's Florida win, the two would team up formally in Ohio to create DCI/New Media, L.L.C.

Connell's ongoing alliances with Synhorst, whose firm in push-polling are worrisome. These alliances strongly suggest that despite a decade to reflect, Connell had not renounced the crooked tactics for which he'd been fired. And that perhaps all he'd learned from the experience was to avoid getting caught.

In any case, just two years after being formed, DCI/New Media, L.L.C. was dissolved.

But prior to its dissolution, Connell and Synhorst launched GovTech Solutions, L.L.C, what may be their defining partnership, a New Media spin-off to handle its "government web site accounts."


more...

http://scoop.epluribusmedia.org/story/2007/4/2/6328/14926






.

[1776Forever]

6. Isn't this what they whole thing has been - Let's hope they can run but they cannot hide!

"Connell's ongoing alliances with Synhorst, whose firm in push-polling are worrisome. These alliances strongly suggest that despite a decade to reflect, Connell had not renounced the crooked tactics for which he'd been fired. And that perhaps all he'd learned from the experience was to avoid getting caught."

[formercia]

9. Rule Number one.

A former GOP operative told me that rule number one is: Don't get caught.

[formercia]

2. More from sourcewatch

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Mike_Connell

Michael (Mike) L. Connell is President, Chief Political Strategist and CEO of New Media Communications, Inc., a Republican website development and internet services firm based in Richfield, OH.

New Media's GOP clients are a "'Who's Who' of Republican politics", having provided campaign web services and Internet strategy for Bush-Cheney 2000/2004, as well as Dick Armey, Spencer Abraham for Senate 2000, Heather Wilson for Congress 2000/2002/2004, Rick Santorum for Senate 2000/2006, and John Thune for Senate 2002/2004 to name just a few. New Media also designed GOP.com for the Republican National Committee, RGA.org for the Republican Governors Association, and between two and three dozen state GOP sites.

In April 2001, Connell spun-off GovTech Solutions from New Media to handle its growing list of federal government clients, such as MajorityWhip.gov for Tom DeLay and Johnny Isakson. Business filings in the state of Ohio show that Govtech's founding members were Connell's wife Heather, and the well-known GOP operative and Chairman of the DCI Group, Thomas J. Synhorst. By 2004, Govtech's clients would grow to include more than 20 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, GOP.gov, the web site of the House Republican Conference, and the House Intelligence, Judiciary, Financial Services, Way and Means, and Administration committees. The latter was acquired while House Administration was chaired by former-U.S. Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio, who was convicted in 2006 of conspiracy to defraud the United States.ion this article

[1776Forever]

7. Wow! That sent chills up my spine! Can we even fathom how deep this goes?

Will the whole truth be known? And finally should we the people consider this treason if voting fraud is proved? I say yes!

[formercia]

15. I agree

A coup against the Constitution via election fraud should qualify as Treason.

[formercia]

3. Connell Donatelli Inc. (CD, Inc.)

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Donatelli_Group

Connell Donatelli Inc. (CD, Inc.), is a "specialized online advertising agency" that was "born" July 2004 "from the merging of two prominent Republican Internet firms," Erin McPike wrote.

R. Rebecca Donatelli, chairman of the D.C.-based Campaign Solutions, and Mike Connell <2>, head of the Cleveland, Ohio-based New Media Communications, Inc. <3>, "joined forces in a venture to target niche markets for their clients with a focus on Internet pop-up and banner ads, online commercials and e-mail lists ... Both Donatelli and Connell plan to continue in their current leadership positions at their respective firms, but merged to offer these concentrated services to their clients, many of them mutual," including Bush Cheney ’04 and the Republican National Committee, McPike wrote. Donatelli served as "chief Internet consultant" to the John McCain for President "bid in 2000, where she propelled Internet giving."

New Media produced "Internet applications and Web sites for a host of Republican organizations and campaigns, including the RNC's GOP.com, and sites for the Republican National Convention, Bush Cheney '04, the Ohio and Pennsylvania Republican Parties, John Thune's South Dakota Senatorial campaign and the NRA." <4>

Website

The Connell Donatelli, Inc. CONNELLDONATELLI.COM website was registered June 23, 2004, by New Media Communications, Summit of Richfield II, Richfield, OH 44286.

[formercia]

4. Mike has been a busy boy

http://www.technomania.com/public/News/NewsDetails.aspx?guid=46308ea4-538d-469a-a65a-85b31ee3532f&area=NewsRelease

Connell Elected to International Board of Political Consultants
New Media Communications President and CEO Mike Connell was elected to the board of directors of the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC) at their annual conference, November 11-15 in Bali, Indonesia.

January 16, 2008

Article Excerpt

RICHFIELD, OH – New Media Communications President and CEO Mike Connell was elected to the board of directors of the International Association of Political Consultants (IAPC) at their annual conference in Bali, Indonesia, November 11-15. He began his two-year term on January 1.

The conference brought together an elite core of political experts, journalists and activists focused on addressing the challenges and opportunities of political and human rights throughout the developing world, as well as the growing influence of Islam and what it means for democracy.

--snip--

New Media’s growing portfolio now includes a number of faith and values clients. Its non-profit, non-partisan affiliate, Technology for Democracy, serves organizations and individuals in emerging democracies and closed societies around the world.

It was tapped to redesign the IAPC’s website, www.iapc.org, in 2006.

[formercia]

5. About winning in 2004

http://www.bbvforums.org/forums/messages/72/1327.html

November 3, 2004
NMC CLIENTS WIN BIG IN KEY RACES
You might call it a "November Surprise" in the best possible way for New Media Communications. With today’s declaration of President George W. Bush as the winner of the presidential election, New Media Communications emerges from the 2004 General Election with a perfect score -- every political candidate client on the ballot won!


Google links this to the New Media website but the text has been scrubbed.
Who would have guessed.

[1776Forever]

8. Wish I was a statistician and knew how often everyone on a client ticket wins!

Very interesting!

[formercia]

11. Especially when the elections are so close.

:rofl:

[drm604]

13. Is this what you're looking for? If so it hasn't been scrubbed.

It's still on the website.
http://www.technomania.com/public/News/NewsDetails.aspx?guid=9a862d3e-6942-494b-bfd2-7c9ef5e422c3&area=NewsRelease

I posted about this in 2005. I was suspicious of NMC, Smartech, etc. back then.

[formercia]

14. Thanks

The Google link was bad. It sent me to a different page.

[drm604]

16. I found it very suspicious at the time that every one of their political clients won in 2004,

and a number of them won against the odds. :tinfoilhat:

[formercia]

17. I remember this was a hot topic back then

Triad, CNP and trying to make all of the connections. They covered their tracks, but not completely.

This needs to be investigated by a Special Prosecutor.

[drm604]

18. Maybe I should look up my old threads.

I dug up a lot of info which is no longer as easily available. I made a lot of connections between various companies and organizations by connecting them to IP addresses, domain ownership, etc. Many of those tracks have since been covered up somewhat as people have become more sophisticated about the internet. As I recall, Ken Blackwell was involved.

[formercia]

19. Please do.

Peoples' memories need to be refreshed.

This is a very dangerous network. I was threatened for talking about it.

These people will not give up until they are brought to justice.

[drm604]

20. I probably won't have time till after the election.

PM me about it then.

Meanwhile, check through the archives of my DU journal. I think some or all of it is in there. I'm sure a lot of the links I posted are dead now but there may still be useful info.

There are probably also some useless ranting and dead ends, I'm not the most organized researcher.

[formercia]

21. Let Connell perjure himself tomorrow.

He's going to be a very distracted operative over the next few days.

Wed. is time for the beginning of payback.

[1776Forever]

22. Connell says "Nothing short of phenomenal" - Amazing this hasn't been looked at before this!

"In addition to its work for specific candidates, New Media created a number of electronic communications tools for the National Rifle Association, the Republican National Committee and the Ohio Republican Party. The efforts of these groups made a difference in strategic arenas all across the country. New Media also worked for two grassroots groups in Michigan and Ohio to successfully defend traditional marriage. These ballot initiatives to reaffirm the definition of marriage (as the union between one man and one woman) won by a wide margin in both states.

"We have really been blessed in this election cycle," Connell said. "This important string of victories for our clients is nothing short of phenomenal.""

[starroute]

10. Mike Connell's day in court

http://www.bradblog.com/?p=6600

The Republican IT guru, recently described as a "high tech Forrest Gump" for his proclivity to be "at the scene" of so many troubling elections since 2000, and even at the heart of the "lost" White House email scandal, has been ordered by a federal judge to appear for an under-oath deposition next Monday in Ohio.

The BRAD BLOG has learned that Mike Connell, the Republican IT guru whose company, GovTech Solutions, created Ohio's 2004 election results computer network, appeared in federal court today, as compelled, and has been ordered to appear for his deposition on Monday, November 3, just 24 hours before Election Day 2008. . . .

Though Connell's attorneys have fought to quash the subpoena, recently issued after the judge lifted a stay on the case several weeks ago, it looks like his options to avoid testimony, or at least jail for avoiding it, may have come to an end. The attorneys in the case have said that Connell's testimony may well lead to the subpoenaing and under-oath questioning of Karl Rove, who, they say, would be unable to use Executive Privilege as an excuse to avoid such a subpoena in a civil RICO case...

[L. Coyote]

12. REC. Mike the Operative. Thomas the Strategist, Josh the Muckraker

This is useful casting info, albeit with cited woman's name lacking.

[mod mom]

23. OH + Blackwell + GovTech

WASHINGTON, October 30, 2006 — Since starting New Media Communications in his Ohio basement in January 1995, Mike Connell has built his firm into one of the leading Web designers for conservative causes and Republican politicians. That GOP business also has led to significant government accounts for GovTech Solutions, a separate online services company owned by his wife Heather.

-snip

In Ohio, Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell's office paid about $465,000 to GovTech, which redesigned the Web site and worked with the office to present Election Night results in 2004. In 1999, when Blackwell co-chaired the congressional Census Monitoring Board, New Media had won a contract to redesign a bilingual Web site for the board.


http://www.publicintegrity.org/consultants/default.aspx?act=profiles&pid=10

[drm604]

25. I knew Blackwell was in the middle of this.

I've been saying it for a while.

[diva77]

24. just stabbing in the dark but, is there any link between any of this and

SOE Software? LA County has huge contracts with them and they are the "middlemen" in the elections results data transfer

here is link to more info: http://www.bbvforums.org/cgi-bin/forums/board-auth.cgi?file=/1954/78437.html

again, i have no idea; just askin'

[drm604]

26. I don't know yet of any connections between Connell's business and SOE Software but

the CEO of SOE, Marc Fratello, donated $1000 to BUSH-CHENEY '04

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=FL&last=fratello&first=marc

[drm604]

27. SOE does have connections to both Diebold and ES&S

http://www.soesoftware.com/news.html

I'm still looking for any connections to Mike Connell or his businesses.

[diva77]

28. thanks drm! will look forward to seeing whatever else you find