Three former students of the Wilson Opportunities Industrialization Center claim they helped OIC staff members prepare a 10,000 piece mailing for the Wilson County Democratic Party for the 2002 general election, according to a Jan. 26 story in the Wilson Daily Times.

The Wilson OIC, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization with an annual budget over $2 million, receives state, local, and federal funds. The organization’s main activities include job training for low income and socially troubled individuals, AIDS education and testing, food distribution, youth counseling, and alternative education. The students were high school dropouts enrolled in the OIC’s General Educational Development program.

Some nonprofit organizations such as labor unions are permitted to participate in political activities as long as the activities and expenditures are reported. According to the IRS Code, a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization such as the Wilson OIS “will lose its tax-exempt status if it engages in political activity.”

The Wilson newspaper based the story on written statements and interviews with the students. Carolina Journal has also obtained copies of the written statements and a copy of the mailing. The letter asked the recipient to vote a straight Democratic ticket for the partisan races, and for the Democrats in the non-partisan races. A sample ballot was included and marked accordingly.

The activity took place on Oct. 31, 2002, which was just prior to the Nov. 5 general election. Several organization staffers and six student clients recruited by OIC caseworker Chandra Peques assembled in a room at the OIC facility to stuff and seal envelopes. The students were volunteers, but their classes at the OIC ended early that day to accommodate the mailing project. The activity lasted from 12:00 noon to 6:00pm. For their assistance, the students were treated to a catered BBQ lunch.

The students also said they were paid for their work, but the payments were not disclosed on campaign finance reports filed by the county party. A review of the campaign expenditures of the Wilson County Democratic Party indicates that a payment $1203 to a local company for printing and a $3885 payment to the US Postal Service for stamps. Those expenditures are consistent with a 10,000-piece mailing. Absent in the report were payments to the students, payments for the food, and rental payments to the OIC for the use of the facility.

Wilson OIC president Howard Jones told the Wilson newspaper that OIC employees were not used to stuff envelopes and that OIC did not pay the students, even though one student said that Jones is the one who paid them each $20.

The paper also reported that one student claimed OIC staff member Thomas Eatmon was present in the room while the mailing activity was taking place. Eatmon, who is also chairman of the Wilson County Board of Elections, denied he was present.

Information obtained by CJ indicates that Rep. Joe Tolson, whose district includes Edgecombe and Wilson Counties, also participated in the project.

When interviewed by CJ for this story, Tolson admitted there was a mailing, but said “I did not deliver it to the post office. I helped carry it around from the party headquarters to the OIC. We were working on it at Democratic headquarters at the mall but we needed more space and more help where we had more space and people to work on it.” Tolson also acknowledged that students and OIC staff were involved in the mailing.

Funding

The OIC’s annual budget is over $2 million. CJ’s review of available financial records indicates that most of the organization’s money originates from the federal, state or local government sources.

Current funding sources include:

•$1,163,691 from the NC Department of Commerce in federal job training funds.

•$90,250 from the NC Rural Economic Development Center for job training.

•$125,000 from the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services ($213,00 last year) for counseling, AIDs prevention, and child nutrition .

•$15,580 from the NC Department of Juvenile Justice for academic and vocational skills building.

•$140,000 in general support from the City of Wilson.

•$150,000 from the Golden LEAF Foundation for job training programs ($125,000; $225,000; and $130,000 in the three previous years).

In addition to the Wilson OIC, the state provides funding for OIC’s in Elizabeth City, Rocky Mount, and Kinston.

Carrington is associate publisher of Carolina Journal.