TKC EXCLUSIVE!!! POLITICAL CONSULTANT CHRIS MORENO CALLS OUT J.J. RIZZO BUT IS HIS CAMPAIGN OUT OF CONTROL?!?!

Here's a bit of sage advice from one of the most IMPORTANT TKC TIPSTERS out there:

"Political Consultants Should NEVER Make Headlines."

To wit, close readers of this blog are no stranger to the adventures of Chris Moreno.

And this week there is a BIT OF MAJOR POLITICAL NEWS from Moreno's campaign for Missouri District 40 Candidate Will Royster.

In an e-mail that has been widely circulated Moreno claims: "JJ Rizzo and his father, operate TMJJ Inc (which is named after JJ), and is a predatory lending business."

From the Rizzo camp: They completely deny the accusation. They note that NO EVIDENCE EXISTS as to the claim and call it "an outright lie."

From my vantage, this kind of clear cut and outright attack on Rizzo and his fam is rather unprecedented and puts Moreno in danger of becoming "bigger" than his candidate. Additionally, the not-so-long-ago ruckus over an AFL-CIO stamp put Moreno in opposition to the local union leadership and I've heard that those guys are rather pissed with the up and coming political consultant. Finally, an elected official at the State Level noted the rising frustration with Moreno's tactics and claimed, "He's trying to be a 'little Jeff Roe," and then said: "He's making a lot of enemies on the way."

Of course, if Moreno wins than this gamble pays off.

However, if Royster doesn't come through he's left with the consequences of "holding the check" in a contentious political race.

The highlights:

* From the Rizzo camp, there is veiled talk of legal action following the race given the "predatory lending" claim. Take this with a grain of salt because lawsuit talk always comes up during elections . . .

* Former colleagues of Moreno say that the rising star might not have a job on August 4th.

* Food for thought: There's an ethics complaint filed against Royster for his financial disclosures regarding Moreno . . . Moreno's side says that MO Ethics doesn't investigate these claims and they contend this will get squashed after the election.

* Critics of the Royster campaign note that Rosyter's large role in the campaign (that speaks to Moreno's ability to control his client) has been akin to "the inmates running the asylum."

* And, for better or worse, Democrats already in the State House have been hoping that Moreno would keep his profile lower. These are folks that might (or might not) make important referrals in the future.

Given all these considerations . . . Check an E-mail fight in the Missouri District 40 race where the political accusations have been flying.


Below, is the letter from JJ Rizzo, in response to Will Royster's Press Release

I have just received an email that was sent out yesterday by my opponent to you and must take just a moment of your time to correct the lies again. This email is pertaining to the support of my candidacy in the Hispanic community in Northeast, especially Hispanic owned businesses.

I have been talking with everybody in Northeast about supporting my candidacy for State Representative and recently received a phone call from the owner of Latino Services located on Independence Avenue wanting to support my candidacy. He introduced me to his assistant who also wanted to help out and we visited many businesses in Northeast. Business owners were excited that they were being asked to be involved and were willing to display my signs. Many of the owners that displayed signs of my opponent were unsure how they got there, and were willing to display my signs since I personally took the time to come by and talk with them (unlike my opponent who sends his campaign manager to use thug-like tactics to get votes).

As far as a so called petition that I had people sign for a mail piece. I would challenge my opponent to produce this. He will have a hard time since it does not exist. We just had an exchange of ideas, that was all.

As far as hiring anybody, no person was hired to help on this campaign period. This was done with people who volunteered their time to help my campaign.

My opponent has run a campaign filled completely with lies. I would invite you to ask him about specific businesses or persons to repeat his conspiracy theory to you. They will not because again these allegations are completely untrue. My opponent has proven to be a liar who is willing to make up story after story in his attempt to fool voters. This will not work. Thank you for your time, and as always if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call me any time.

Sincerly,

John Rizzo

##############################

CHECK THE RESPONSE FROM CHRIS MORENO WHICH IS THE SUBJECT OF THIS POST:

Up until recently when I opened my firm, I was one of the highest ranking Latino's in both Missouri Government and the Democratic Party. My brother Nicholas, served as the Legislative Aide to County Legislator Theresa Garza-Ruiz, who is supportive of Will and has stood up against the Rizzo's.

-The claim of going to businesses as "thugs" is hillarious coming from a Rizzo. FACT: Nick took Will Royster to all of the businesses on Independence Avenue several weeks ago to talk about issues. They were supportive of Will and placed his signs in their windows and on their property.

-J.J. Rizzo has since sent a few individuals from Servicio Latino, around to the businesses falsely claiming that at a recent forum, Will Royster called for "closing the border and deporting all immigrants" and that John Rizzo is "from a family of immigrants". This is blatantly false. My brother and I were the only Latino's in the crowd at that debate. There were two young Latino's with a young Democrat named Paul Short that were there for part of the forum and left. Second, Will Royster clearly stated his stance was that the federal government is responsible for this issue, that at the state level we need to level the playing field for businesses by cracking down on 1099 misclassification tax fraud and we need to protect immigrant workers from being exploited. A business misclassifies immigrant workers so that they do not have to pay taxes, unemployment or workers compensation to that worker if they are hurt on the job.

- At least 5 business owners or managers who spoke directly to these individuals have confirmed this story about the scam being placed by JJ Rizzo. These businesses including Taqueria Mexico, Carniceria y Taqueria, Elvira's Bakery and at least 5 others, were told the same story by these individuals used by JJ Rizzo. That story included misleading statements about Will Royster, and that if there was a concern, they could sign a document with their name, business and phone number and the KC Hispanic News and Northeast News would contact them. The KC Hispanic Chamber has notified and confirmed this. They have since called all the businesses on Independence Avenue, to tell them they can support whoever but NOT to sign a document. Joe Arce, with the KC Hispanic News, is also very upset by this.

- We have spoken with these individuals, who are all supportive of Will and have placed signs in their properties and flyers in their window warning Latino's of the scam. They have been given the private number of my brother and Will, so that if these scam artists come back in, they can call us to make us aware.

Bottom line, Will Royster is supported by Me, Theresa Garza-Ruiz, Genaro Ruiz, Crispin Rea, Nicholas Moreno, my father former UAW Local 31 Vice-President David Moreno (who was raised in Northeast), Mike Hernandez, Jerry Morales and all of the latino businesses on independence avenue.

Our community will not be scammed or bought off by JJ Rizzo and that is something he cannot handle. JJ Rizzo and his father, operate TMJJ Inc (which is named after JJ), and is a predatory lending business. The average interest rate of Title loans is 700% to 1000%. In a 12 block radius there are more predatory lending businesses than anywhere in the state. This is also home to the most immigrants. That is no coincidence. The Rizzo's have exploited immigrant families with high interest rates for decades. This has crushed the dreams of families and increased crime and poverty in Northeast. Will Royster is against predatory lenders and a neighborhood leader with proven experience and proven leadership.

John Rizzo is a predatory lender, who recently quit his job in order to hide that he still works there. He claims to be a self employed "marketing consultant" because he couldn't tell Northeast News where he worked.

The choice is clear this election. Don't let your community be fooled by the same scam. Support Will Royster.

Sincerely,

Chris Moreno
#######################################