Mystery Deepens About "Firefighters For Rudy"
Okay, so we're having a heck of a time getting the Rudy Giuliani campaign to give us details about this new group we referenced below called "Firefighters for Rudy."
We do know this much so far, however: The executive director of "Firefighters for Rudy" appears to be an aide to Giuliani. And the phone number for "Firefighters for Rudy" is the same number as the press office of Rudy's campaign.
A quick recap: As reported earlier, the Giuliani campaign sent out a release in response to stories this morning in which the firefighters union faulted his performance on 9/11. The release offered the following as a contact:
Contact: Tim Brown Executive Director of Firefighters for Rudy
The idea, obviously, was that this "group" of firefighters is countering the fire union's claims. So all we want to know is the following: When was this group formed? And how many members does it have? A Google search turned up nothing at all illuminating. So we left detailed questions about the group's formation and membership with the Giuliani campaign's communications director about it. No answer yet.
Also intriguing: For some reason, even though the group's executive director, Tim Brown, is offered as a contact on the release, when you call the number offered you get directed to the Rudy campaign press office. When you ask for Brown, you're directed to a press officer.
Who is Tim Brown? Today, Firefighting News identifies him as an "aide" to Giuliani. So is "Firefighters for Giuliani" a campaign offshoot, or something like that? If so, fine -- we just wish the campaign would say definitively one way or the other, tell us how long it's been in existence, and most important, tell us how many members it has. Could it be this Yahoo group with all of three members? Maybe. Maybe not. We just want to know more about Firefighters for Rudy, dammit!
Update: Success! We just reached Tim Brown, the executive director of Firefighters for Rudy, by calling the phone number accompanying this info about registration of the domain name, which notes that the name was taken out in August of 2006. It sounded like the guy's cell phone.
At any rate, when we asked Brown if he was the executive director of Firefighters for Rudy, he said that he was. When we asked if he was an aide on the campaign, he paused for awhile before saying, "yeah." When we asked him what his title on the campaign was, he said -- you guessed it -- "executive director of Firefighters for Rudy."
So we then posed the question of how many members it has. At that point, he said he was going to have "other folks" get back to us.
Aaarrrrghhhh! Frustration. If the executive director of this group doesn't know how many members it has, then who does?
Nice. Very nice. Message to you, Rudy (obscure 80's musical reference): When you set up shell "organizations" for spin purposes, make sure you've done your homework, which in this case means actually finding a couple people to be "members". Amateur!
March 9, 2007 4:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Rudy G. Trampling on the backs of firefighters as he leaps for the brass ring. Again.
March 9, 2007 4:54 PM | Reply | Permalink
Brown is also a partner with his brother in this web site dedicated (as near as I can make out) to pimping FDNY-logo merchandise.
Here's what he says about himself, and here's what he says about 9/11/01.
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March 9, 2007 4:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, if "fire" is taken as a metaphor, then maybe "fire-fighter" could be someone who tries to make sure that anyone firing at Rudy gets doused.
On the other hand it could mean that "fighters for Rudy" should be "fired."
Just having fun here!
March 9, 2007 5:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sure there's a good Ray Bradbury joke in there too, but off the top of my head I don't know what it is.
March 9, 2007 5:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
what did Guiliani do to firefighters as mayor?
from posts on another thread, he must have done something really bad.
who wants to wager on the pick for 2008 of major firemans' organizations, in and around NYC?
ya think Hillary will get the support?
ya think Rudy will get the support?
March 9, 2007 5:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
To follow up on tbetz's comment about the Brown brothers, Timothy and Christopher, pimping firefighter merchandise at TheBravest.com, the domain name was registered on 4/13/99 to theBravest.com, Inc.
The Bravest.com, Inc. was registered in Rhode Island 0n 3/8/00 and Christopher J. Brown was listed as president.
Both the domain name and corporate registration for The Bravest.com listed Stubtoe Lane in Portsmouth as their adress. However, the domain registration for FirefightersForRudy.com lists 2 Regency Plaza, #1208 west, in Providence RI as its address.
Since 1999, TheBravest.com has broadcast live FDNY radio transmissions and appears to have sold merchandise since 2000. Some of the original ads on th website are kind of interesting. One company offered a "Terrorist Pager Service" before 9/11.
Maybe Tim Brown got bit by the political bug after working for the Department of Health and Human Services after 9/11 as described in his online bio.
March 9, 2007 5:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
From a 9/27/03 Providence Journal-Bulletin story about Tim Brown:
"...ON SEPT. 11, 2001, Brown, a career firefighter, had been working for two years on assignment to the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management, a creation of the Giuliani administration.
His job was to make sure government agencies and other groups, such as public utilities, worked well together after an incident. As a member of the field operations team, he would be dispatched to fires or accident scenes, bringing the clout of the mayor's office with him to referee disputes or get people hopping.
It was a plum posting, and, according to the former office director, Jerome Hauer, a job Brown excelled at.
"He knew a lot of the folks in the field because he had worked in a rescue company," Hauer recalled last week. "He was very creative in what he did. He was certainly one of the hardest-working guys I had working for me, and just never gave up on a situation."
Brown was promoted to lead the dozen-member field operations team. They worked out of a command center at 7 World Trade Center, next door to the pair of twin skyscrapers that symbolized lower Manhattan...."
March 9, 2007 7:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Specials 1979
Stop your messin around...oh oh
better think of your future...oh oh
time you straighten right out...oh oh
creatin problems in town...oh oh
rudy....a message to you rudy
a message to you
March 9, 2007 7:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, if we're going back to the beginning, it's an obscure 1967 reggae reference...
March 9, 2007 8:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Google search of the email addy tbrown@thebravest.com found on the whois for the domain sends you to an FDNY Soccer Roster page where Tim is listed as an assistant coach. His profile (with photo):
March 10, 2007 1:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Not necessarily off topic: "Massachusetts Republicans for Truth" attacking Romney.
First time as tragedy, second time as farce.
March 10, 2007 1:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
This seems to me to be a real story. Just imagine if Al Gore had set up within his campaign "Gun Owners for Gore," did not disclose that in the bogus group's press releases, and the facts were rooted out by the press. The MSM would be all over it.
March 10, 2007 8:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
Is Lee Ielpi a member of Firefighters For Rudy or not?
From a 3/9/07 CNN broadcast:
[Mary] Snow: "...Giuliani's supporters, like retired New York City Firefighter Lee Ielpi, are coming to his defense. Ielpi lost his son, also a firefighter, on 9/11. He's now part of the campaign group, Firefighters For Rudy..."
Lee Ielpi's letter of support for Rudy Giuliani is now featured on Giuliani's campaign website. The letter is the one that Tim Brown, "Executive Director" of Firefighters For Rudy supposedly sent out to America's firefighters and was included in Brown's statement to the press.
I wrote more about Lee Ielpi's ties to Rudy Giuliani in the TPM Cafe here.
March 11, 2007 10:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
As a real life firefighter,one that supports Rudy, I was intrigued by the "outsiders" perspectives many of the posts here seem to advance. I am in no way associated with the campaign have never met the man but am still a supporter - so much so that I recently created my own webblog (www.rudysfirefighters.com) at my own expense and with no ads dedicated to firefighters who support Giuliani's bid for President. So, if there are any questions regarding firefighter support for Rudy you might want to dig further than the MSM.
March 19, 2007 8:13 PM | Reply | Permalink