Abortion foes raise $2 million, but cause given just 1%

By RUSS BUETTNER

August 21, 2000 Web posted at: 3:04 PM EDT (1904 GMT)

NEW YORK (The New York Daily News) -- A Long Island anti-abortion group has raised $2.1 million in small donations this year by promising voters the money would help right-to-life candidates, but only a penny of every dollar has been spent that way.

Instead, nearly all the money raised on behalf of the group, Elect Life, went straight back to the Arizona telemarketer that solicited the contributions.

The $2 million Elect Life spent was more than the combined fund-raising costs this year of the other 1,124 active political action committees registered with New York State, according to a Daily News computer analysis of recent filings.

Donors to Elect Life, all ardent abortion opponents, were alarmed when told their money was spent essentially on more fund-raising.

"My heavens," said Howard Warner, a retired factory worker in upstate East Syracuse who gave $100. "I wouldn't have given if I'd known that."

But John Mawn, a 30-year abortion foe who founded Elect Life out of his Ronkonkoma, L.I., home, said that every solicitation by telemarketers also educates supporters.

"That's our way of reaching our people, and it's a reasonable cost," Mawn said. "When we had no money, we couldn't do anything, so I'll take the criticism."

It has long been known that some charities spend most of their money on fund-raising or administrative costs, as opposed to a charitable purpose. But that's a relatively new concern in the world of political action committees such as Elect Life.

"I've never heard of 99% the money raised going to consultants," said Blair Horner, legislative director of the New York Public Interest Research Group.

"I don't know how they can justify it. It may just be the latest in not-for-profit scams."

Though there are legal distinctions between PACs and charities, there are no regulations governing how either spends money.

Records show that Mawn has benefited marginally from running Elect Life. This year, he steered $5,000 to his family bus company, $3,500 to his daughter-in-law to keep the books and $2,600 to himself for salary and rent.

Asked why he didn't hire other companies to avoid the appearance of impropriety, Mawn responded: "Why should I? We're not stealing here."

Mawn, 60, said he formed Elect Life in 1998 because he thought National Right to Life, the nation's largest anti-abortion organization, was going soft.

"They're for all kinds of exceptions," Mawn said. "They've become a group that really has no purpose, in my opinion."

Mawn, a co-founder of the state Right to Life Party, said it was time for a "no promise" approach. But he said Elect Life languished with few resources until he got a call in early 1999 from Bill Tierney, president of Capitol Communications, a telemarketing company based in Mesa, Ariz.

Tierney, 28, a Christian conservative abortion foe, has been a campaign manager for Republican candidates in Arizona and represented that state as a delegate at national Republican conventions, according to published reports. Tierney told Mawn he could make millions of calls on a contingency basis, not charging Elect Life even if the fund-raising didn't cover costs, Mawn said.

The young Arizonan impressed Mawn with his access to national calling lists from conservative and religious organizations, whose members are likely to back anti-abortion efforts, Mawn said.

"I really thought we'd get the best bang for our buck from Capitol," he said.

As it turned out, Capitol kept 94% of the more than $2.1 million it raised. Elect Life got $137,965. It contributed to seven congressional candidates in New York and New Jersey and to Patrick Buchanan's presidential campaign. The contributions totaled $22,650, just 1% of donations.

In contrast, National Right to Life's political action wing gives at least 85% of the money it raises to anti-abortion candidates, said Barry Bostrom, an Indiana lawyer who serves as co-counsel to the committee.

Tierney has been accused of milking the abortion issue for profit. Capitol Communications once raised money for a new organization called American Right to Life. Two years ago, National Right to Life sued the newer group, charging its similar name fraudulently misled donors. The suit is pending in federal court in Washington.

"They thought they were donating to us, and they weren't," Bostrom said. "They were donating to a brand-new organization they knew nothing about that was spending over 90% on telemarketing."

Tierney did not answer calls for comment.

Mawn said Elect Life has more than $100,000 on hand and will make more contributions soon. And even though the boiler-room dialers are preaching to the converted, Mawn said the calls are important.

"They're already on our side, but what have they done?" he said. "We tell them that it's very important to take an action to support your conviction."

He provided a script Capitol's operators use to make the point. It directs the operator to ask for a donation four times, each in decreasing amounts. If the last request fails, the solicitor asks: "Would you please join our grass-roots campaign to stop partial-birth abortion by calling your U.S. senators?" The solicitor then gives the person the names of the senators and the number for the U.S. Capitol switchboard.

Elect Life donors told The News they already were active abortion foes, and they weren't happy to learn their money didn't go to candidates.

"Then they are no good," said Mary Conlon, 69, of Woodside, Queens, who gave Elect Life $100 in February.

"The money's going someplace. I'm not going to send another dime to that crowd."

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