Two Friends
The financial backing for Values Are Vital comes from two of Kreegel’s childhood friends from Miami, he told the Daily News editorial board, which later endorsed him. FEC filings identify the initial donors as Ronald Firman and Martin Burns. Firman used a Miami post-office box as his address. Burns lives in Las Vegas, where he is a lawyer.
Firman said in a brief telephone interview that he is in the financial services industry. Burns didn’t return telephone calls and e-mails.
“We support Dr. Kreegel because we know that he would make a great Congressman because he is a true conservative, highly intelligent, knowledgeable, capable, and is an individual of high integrity,” Firman said in an e-mail.
In the Daily News interview, Kreegel said he needed his friends’ help.
“This is going to be a vastly foreshortened race, and the idea of collecting money again once you’ve lost a race becomes much more difficult,” said Kreegel, whose FEC disclosure reports show he had raised $126,005 through April 2.
No Debts
Campaign manager Alex Melendez said in an e-mailed response to questions from Bloomberg for this article that “Paige will not owe them anything if elected.”
To donor John Jordan, that rings true. Jordan, a California winery owner, spent $1.5 million on a pop-up super-PAC to help Massachusetts Senate candidate Gabriel Gomez last year. Gomez, a Republican, lost.
“I have no legislation pending before Congress, so why would I want to buy anybody? What would I do with them?” he asked, adding that his political donations reflect his patriotism.