Orchards founder suing senators, reps

By Linda CarmanPrint Story | Email Story
WILLIAMSTOWN – A former Williamstown businessman and selectman now living in Tucson, Ariz., has filed a lawsuit charging that senators and representatives who take out-of-state, or out-of-district, contributions are in conflict of interest. Saying his lawsuit wants to restore power to “We The People,” Chester P. Soling said Tuesday that he aims to plug a loophole in the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance law that lets non-constituents gain influence by donating to candidates in many districts and states. Soling sued Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and other Arizona politicians and candidates in federal court in Tucson on June 21. The suit maintains that officials who accept contributions from contributors outside their state or district violate their duty to represent only those who elect them and are thus in conflict of interest. “Elected officials should not take money from people or entities that they don’t represent – entities that have self-serving agendas that often diverge widely from that of the voters,” Soling said. “I’m doing what I can as an American citizen to help get our country back on track.” According to Soling, the Constitution specifies that the election of members of Congress “is an action of the individual states.” “That is obvious, for each state makes its own election laws and conducts its own elections,” he wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. “So my question is, why can anyone in another election district or state have a direct say in who the electorate of the district elects. Money is power. You can’t run for office without an adequate source of funds. So when a wealthy person in another state or district donates money to someone running elsewhere, they are not doing that because they like the candidate’s looks. They want to see that person elected to office.” In effect, he said, this practice gives the person an extra say, or even an extra vote, while the voters in the district go unheeded, especially after the congressman gets elected. The congressman opens his office to the high roller, not to the ordinary voters, Soling charged. “In this way, we are saying loud and clear, Mr./Mrs. Congressman, represent those who elect you, not those who support you!” Soling wrote. “They are directly violating their oath of office, and that is to be a surrogate and represent those who vote for you. In other words, my cause is to bring back the power to We The People, not we the money. And, hey, I get nothing out of this but satisfaction.” In a story in The New York Times last month, Soling said the Founding Fathers would be “despondent” over the role of money in politics, which is not in keeping with the spirit of a republic. Soling has launched the Web site www.CongressAbuse.com that contains information about the lawsuit and to contribute to the cause. “I urge all Americans who care about the future of our country to go to our site and contribute what they can so that we can take this case all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary,” he said. Soling’s lawyer, Leon Silver of the law firm Keller Rohrback P.L.C., was quoted in The New York Times story as saying Soling wants an injunction to level the playing field and to return the government to the people as the framers of the Constitution intended. Soling maintains that congressional hearings after the 1998 elections found that senators and congressmen often act from obligation to those who donate the most money to their campaigns. His action would also restrict rich candidates from running for Congress on their own funds, setting the same limit of $2,000 that other contributors face. Soling, a former real estate and Wall Street business executive who owned a seat on the American Exchange and who built The Orchards in Williamstown, has long been active in public betterment. In addition to serving as a selectman in Williamstown, he was a board member of the League of Women Voters and on the Board of Trustees of Syracuse University, of which he is an alumnus.
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Senior Golf Series Returns in September

Community submission
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Berkshire County Fall Senior Golf series returns in September with events on five consecutive Wednesdays starting Sept. 18.
 
It is the 22nd year of the series, which is a fund-raiser for junior golf in the county, and it is open to players aged 50 and up.
 
The series will feature two divisions for each event based on the combined ages of the playing partners.
 
Golfers play from the white tees (or equivalent) with participants 70 and over or who have a handicap of more than 9 able to play from the forward tees.
 
Gross and net prices will be available in each division.
 
The cost is $55 per event and includes a round of golf, food and prizes. Carts are available for an additional fee.
 
Golfers should call the pro shop at the course for that week's event no sooner than two weeks before the event to register.
 
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