Fletch & Co. Nab Industry Awards
Posted on April 2, 2009 at 6:38 pmFrom an email blast:
Fletcher Rowley Riddle, a national advertising, strategic communications and political media firm, won seven awards at the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) “Pollie” Awards this past weekend in Washington D.C. The firm was recognized for excellence in a diverse set of categories including television, radio, and multi-lingual advertising. Fletcher Rowley Riddle Inc. triumphed for work in states stretching from Florida to Ohio to Colorado to the state of Washington, for clients ranging from State House to U.S. Congress up to Statewide Referendum.
Most notably, the firm’s awards included: 2 Pollies for commercials produced for the 1-1000 Death with Dignity campaign in the state of Washington; and a Pollie for Radio Advertising in a U.S. Congressional campaign for the ad “Brickhouse”, produced for Ohio Rep. Steve Driehaus (OH-1).
They Hate Kurita That Much
Posted on October 20, 2008 at 9:35 amThe Tennessee Republican Party wonders why Democrats in Tennessee continue to work with political consultants Fletcher, Rowley, Chao, Riddle, Inc. after a Congressman they worked with allegedly promised his mistress a job with the company:
This election cycle, FRCR is doing or has done work for several Democrats running for the Tennessee legislature, including state Senate candidate Tim Barnes - the candidate hand-picked by a few dozen Democrat insiders after Democrat party elites rejected the votes of 4,477 people in the primary and installed Barnes, the certified loser of the election, as the winner.
The Tennessee Democratic Party, instead of ignoring a release likely to get ignored, decides to issue a corrective press release giving life to the story that the company doing a majority of the media for Democratic Party candidates in Tennessee is in the midst of a national scandal:
For the Tennessee Republican Party, fact-checking has long been overlooked, according to Tennessee Democratic Party Chairman Gray Sasser correcting an erroneous press release distributed by the TNGOP earlier this morning. Fletcher, Rowley, Chao, and Riddle previously worked for Senator Rosalind Kurita in the District 22 Democratic Primary Election. Contrary to the TNGOP’s claim this morning, FRCR has never entered into a contractual agreement with the Tim Barnes campaign. The Tennessee Democratic Party, however, has hired Scout Communications for independent expenditures in Senate District 22.
Not How He Do: Fletcher And Mahoney Are Quitsville
Posted on October 13, 2008 at 4:23 pmAfter ABC broke news that a mistress of Congressman Tim Mahoney had been promised a job at Fletcher Rowley Chao Riddle Inc. per a confidential legal agreement, CEO Bill Fletcher has announced his firm no longer rolls with the congressman:
“As of today, FRCR, Inc. has resigned from Tim Mahoney’s campaign and permanently ended our relationship with him.
“According to ABC News, Tim Mahoney apparently included our company in a secret legal settlement without the knowledge of our firm. Our firm did not agree to any legal settlement.
“If these allegations are true, Tim Mahoney’s actions are unacceptable and not in line with FRCR’s business ethics.”
SEE ALSO:
The TNGOP reacts
Mahoney wants an investigation — of himself
Nashville Consulting Firm Linked To Sexual Harrassment Settlement
Posted on at 11:19 amThe firm of Fletcher, Rowley, Chao, Riddle, Inc has been named in a report by ABC chronicling a sexual harassment settlement involving a a sitting congressman.
Congressman Tim Mahoney of Florida, the man who succeeded disgraced Rep. Mark Foley, has allegedly made a $121,000 payment to a former mistress who worked on his staff and was threatening to sue him. The sttlement also reportedly includes promise of alternate employment.
The agreement between the Congressman and Allen, reportedly promises her a job for two years at Fletcher Rowley Chao Riddle or another company, beginning January 2009. Fletcher Rowley, a Nashville-based political consulting firm that offers “crisis management and creative strategy,” lists Mahoney’s 2006 election victory as one of its “success stories,” according to its website.
The firm’s CEO, Bill Fletcher, strongly denied any knowledge of the settlement or any promise of employment to Allen. “I know nothing of the like,” he told ABC News. “There is no such agreement. There is no arrangement,” Fletcher said.
According to Fletcher, all funds paid to his company by the Mahoney for Congress campaign were properly accounted for. “I’ve made no payments to any third party,” he said.
According to people briefed on the settlement Allen was promised at least $50,000 a year or other employment if the Fletcher Rowley job fell through.
Friends of Allen say she was required to sign a back-dated letter of resignation to the campaign chairman, Charles Halloran, describing her departure as “amicable” and “nothing to do with you, the Congressman, the campaign, or any conduct by anyone associated with your congressional office of campaign.”
A Mahoney campaign spokesman said, “Patricia Allen resigned of her own accord, in good standing.”
The spokesman said there “was no sexual harassment suit filed against Congressman Mahoney.”
Allen, reached at her home in Hobe Sound, said she was “unable” to comment publicly.
Her friends say her settlement agreement with Mahoney prohibits her from making “negative comments” about him.
UPDATE: Fletcher severs his relationship with the Congressman.
SEE ALSO:
Braisted.
Jeff Woods
Former Banner Reporter Cancels Tennessean Subscription
Posted on August 19, 2008 at 11:43 amFrom desk of political consultant Bill Fletcher:
I canceled my subscription to The Tennessean today. It wasn’t that hard (since I’m a former Banner reporter) but the sad truth is I have been a subscriber to the Tennessean, continuously, since April of 1980.
I spoke to the customer service representative, who was in Fort Worth, and told her my tale of woe and she commiserated with me and said she would tell her boss and that she was sorry. Nice lady.
So, after all these years, why did I cancel my subscription? Well, I had a letter shoved under the door of my downtown apartment from Tressie Minor, who purports to be the Owner/Operator of a company called Colossal Incorporated, 101 Hickory Park Lane, Antioch, TN 37013. Now, Tressie writes, “Effective Wednesday August 20, 2008 all papers will be labeled with your suite number or business name and will be available at the security / concierge desk for you to retrieve.”
Oh lovely. Now, can you possibly imagine the sight at apartment buildings and condos in downtown Nashville. Early morning. All those people staggering down to the lobby in their jammies, shorts, t-shirts, soiled robes and flipflops to get their paper. Spilling coffee in the elevator. Bumping into people they’ve been avoiding. Oh the humanity.
One Day, And That Day May Never Come, He Will Call Upon You…
Posted on August 18, 2008 at 12:02 pm
An artful rendering of political consultant Bill Fletcher with daughter, Marshall May Fletcher, and son, William Burke Fletcher, III who, apparently, were both just told not to let anyone outside the family know what they are thinking again.
Original photography swiped from Bill Fletcher’s Facebook page. Photoshoppin’ by Wild Billy Givens.
Benjamin Not About The Benjamins: Tuke Campaign Manager Works For Free
Posted on June 6, 2008 at 8:22 pmIn an interview with Post Politics earlier today Ben Chao, Campaign Manager for U.S. Senate Democratic candidate Bob Tuke, revealed that he is taking no salary for his efforts on behalf of the Tuke campaign.
Responding to questions prompted by speculation that the Tuke campaign was a scam to pad to the bank accounts of Chao and the political consulting firm of Fletcher Rowley Chao Riddle, Inc., Chao stated emphatically, “Anyone who thinks that this campaign is about money for Ben Chao is seriously misguided.”
Chao also told Post Politics that neither he nor his firm accepted a retainer nor are they contracted to receive a win bonus in the event of victory in either the primary or the general. In addition, Fletcher Rowley Chao Riddle, Inc. will be taking only a 6.5% commission from media buys as opposed to the “industry standard” of 15%.
Jed Brewer, Campaign Manager for Tuke’s primary opposition Mike Padgett, tells Post Politics that his firm, Blue Solutions,works on a monthly contract negotiated with the candidate prior to entrance in the race. Blue Solutions is not a media company so it stands to receive no commissions from media buys.
Brewer added, “I think its a slight conflict of interest when your campaign manager, who controls your budget, is also the person who stands to make more based on how much they choose to spend on TV.”
Speaking further on the subject of money, Tuke Campaign Manager Ben Chao stated that much less would be needed to take on Lamar Alexander in the current modern political environment than one would think. Although Chao does have a “number” in mind (a number he would not disclose) that he thinks is needed to wage the most effective campaign against Alexander he doesn’t believe that reaching the number, which he wouldn’t characterize as “a goal”, is a necessity.
Campaigns of the past, Chao explained, were cost prohibitive because of the focus on the “air war.” Buying television is no longer as important because people are so fed up with this administration, high gas prices, and the war that they are paying more attention to politics than unusual.
“Voters are angry and actively seeking information like never before,” Chao explained.
While Chao was dismissive of contentions Lamar Alexander would need to be matched dollar for dollar in any way by a Democratic challenger, Chao charitably revealed to Post Politics that the Tuke campaign has money waiting in the wings.
Chao would not discuss what kind of figures the campaign would be reporting on June 30th, but what he did offer is that the Tuke campaign has donors committed to helping Tuke — after he wins the primary.
Chao tells Post Politics that a figure “in the seven digits” will flow into Tuke for Tennessee as soon as the general election begins. Chao explains that many donors have declined “on principle” to contribute during a contested primary but would “be there for Bob” as soon as the race is between Alexander and Tuke.
Chao is also not convinced that Lamar Alexander’s iconic status translates into electoral gold. Political observers, Chao argues, fail to understand that some 50 odd percent of the current electorate either were born or did not live in Tennessee when Lamar Alexander was Governor.
Barack Obama’s capture of the Democratic Presidential nomination also will not not hurt a general election campaign against Lamar Alexander as far as Chao is concerned. Chao asserts that Barack Obama expands the electorate bringing new voters to the polls and excites “dormant” voters who haven’t elected to exercise their franchise recently.
When asked about the how the campaign would deal with the tattoo-on-your-forehead rule in Tennessee politics that Democrats have to dominate in West Tennessee to overcome GOP strength in East Tennessee, Chao, while believing Tuke could turnout both rural West Tennessee voters as well as the Memphis urban core in record numbers, stated plainly that the anger in the electorate “transcends all traditional political strategies.”
“East Tennessee voters are just as upset about gas prices, just as upset about the war as any traditional Democratic voter.”
In the final analysis, Chao contends, this election will be won on the issues.
“If one were to look up career politician in the dictionary they’d have a pretty good chance of Lamar Alexander being one of the pictures they’d see,” said Chao.
“Bob Tuke does not tremble in fear of running against a career politician in this electorate. Ideas will matter.”
For the candidate’s views go to Tuke for Tennessee.
This Week With Big Bad Bob
Posted on April 25, 2008 at 5:23 pmWKRN’s Muelleropolis panel this Sunday stars John Rodgers of the City Paper, TNGOP Chair Robin Smith and the man behind the Mouth, TNDP Press Secretary Wade Munday.
See discussion of the Democratic Presidential primary, the anti-abortion YouTube public relations drive and a feature interview with the dark prince of Democratic politics, Bill Fletcher, sans tie sporting the latest in springtime consultantwear.
See the show early right here.
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