OCEA’s John Leos (center) with OCEA Prez Robert Gibson (right) at Jerry Brown inaugural shindig.
As this blog as documented pretty thoroughly, the Orange County Employees Association spent a staggering amount of its members’ dues money in an effort to elect one of its members, John Leos, to the Anaheim City Council.
How much did that failed effort cost on a per-vote basis?
OCEA directly put into $350,000 into independent expenditures for Leos (this doesn’t take into account OCEA money that may have made its way into the election via transfers to other union-controlled committees, or even the estimated $100,000 OCEA spent in 2011 on direct mail promoting Leos).
John Leos ultimately garnered 19,051 votes.
That comes to $18.37 per vote…to buy a third place finish. Keep in mind that number may change when all the money is finally accounted for.
In 2010, OCEA directly spent $200,000 trying to elect Leos in 2010, when he received 12,966 votes. That’s $15.42 per vote.
Amazingly, OCEA dollar-cost-per-vote ratio increased from 2010 to 2012, for a third-place finish both times. Not a good ROI on OCEA members’ moolah.
How does Nick Beradino keep his job? Really, I mean it. He wastes hundreds of thousands of dollars on losing campaigns, and what does he have to show for it? Do OCEA members just not care?
Seems like union members are throwing money down the drain. I am sure the union bosses are living high-on-the-hog though.