Daily Kos: ND-Sen: Rep. Rick Berg (R. Goldmark)

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So we've heard a lot about Goldman Sachs and Bain Capital over these past four years. ?But now get ready to hear about another slimy, greedy company that has brought misery to others. ?It's called Goldmark Property Management and it's the top donor to North Dakota GOP Senate candidate, Rick Berg.

First off, for those of you not familiar with Republican Senate candidate, Rick Berg, let me fill you in on some info. ?Berg served in the North Dakota House of Representatives from 1985-2011. ?Berg was House Majority Leader from 2003-2011. ?Berg then defeated nine term Congressman, Earl Pomeroy (D) during the 2010 mid-term elections. ?During his time in the North Dakota House, Berg voted with a minority of the state house to make terminating a pregnancy illegal, in a bill that only made exception for when the life of the mother is endangered. ?You can read about the legislation here:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/...

So Berg is another anti-choice extremist in the War On Women like Todd Akin in Missouri, Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin and Tom Smith in Pennsylvania. ?He was a big fan of George W. Bush's plan to privative Social Security back in 2005:

Did you also know that he's the 13th wealthiest member of congress who's worth up to $54 million dollars? ?Now you do. ?How do he make that much money? ?From helping find a real estate company known as Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services now known as Goldmark Property Management. ?Salon did a piece on Berg's connections with Goldmark and it's quite an interesting read:

http://www.salon.com/...

Berg's challenger, former Attorney General Heidi Heitkamp (D. ND) has been bitting Berg hard in her campaign ads regarding Berg's connection to Goldmark and it's something that could very well sink Berg's campaign:

The company, Goldmark Property Management, had earned a bad reputation in the state, along with tenant complaints, citations for alleged fire safety violations, and a C - rating from the Better business Bureau. - Salon, 9/25/12

Goldmark has donated at least $17,500 to Berg?s Senate campaign and has donated $20,000 to Senate Republicans. ?Golmark employees also donate $28,000 dollars to Berg's 2010 House campaign and Berg has also emphasized about his business record on his own Senate website:

http://www.bergfornorthdakota.com/...

With nothing more than a loan, a vision, and a lot of hard work, what began as a business idea among friends grew into what is now Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services.

Heitkamp's latest radio ad highlights one case where Goldmark sent a collections agent after a soldier deployed abroad. ?Berg claims the ad is "100 percent false" and that he has had no involvement with with Goldmark and that he only founded the precursor company, Midwest Management Company, but left the company several years before the company changed it's name to Goldmark:

According to Berg, he founded the company that proceeded Goldmark Property Management, but left several years before it changed its name to Goldmark. A few years after that, he helped found Goldmark Schlossman Commercial Real Estate Services. As Politico?s John Bresnahan reported last week, the two companies share a name, address, phone number, office space and many of the same officers and employees. Berg insists the two companies have no ?legal affiliation.? - Salon, 9/25/12

Goldmark Property Management?s website listed Berg as a senior vice president but for some strange reason, Berg's name was taken off the website. ?Here's a screenshot from the Salon article that proves though he was listed as V.P. of Goldmark on their website:

Salon points out this interesting fact from Berg's deleted bio from the Goldmark website and some other interesting facts:

?Rick has been with GOLDMARK since its inception in 1981.? Berg has acted as a public spokesman for the company in the past, and on a 2000 campaign donation, he listed ?Goldmark Property Management? as his employer. The Berg campaign now says this was a clerical error. - Salon, 9/25/12

So Berg, like Mitt Romney, loves to tout his business record to help him get elected. The big difference between Berg and Romney is Romney lied about how long he worked at Bain while Berg brags about his co-finding Goldmark but then tries to distance himself from the controversial company he helped create. ?But don't worry, Berg's time at Goldmark along with their generous donations to Berg's past campaigns have had no influence on how he drafted legislation in the North Dakota House of Representatives... NOT!!!!! ?Read on:

And judging by Berg?s record in the state Legislature, it?s not hard to see why they invested in him. According to legislative records, Berg introduced numerous bills as a member of the state House of Representatives and state Senate to give landlords more rights over their tenants in ways that could possibly benefit both Goldmark companies and thus Berg. In 1985, he sponsored a bill that would raise the amount landlords could charge a for security deposit, from one month?s rent to one and half month?s rent, and made it easier for them to keep security deposits.

In 1989, he introduced a bill that would have made it easier for landlords to evict tenants by allowing the proceedings to go through small claims court. ?That bill failed with zero yea votes, 101 nays and five absentees. That same year, he introduced a separate bill to make it easier for landlords to evict tenants by holding them responsible for ?indirect? actions. ?It was ultimately vetoed by the governor, who said it was too ambiguous and ?could lead to abuse by both landlords and other tenants.? ?Another bill introduced that year raised the amount of property left on the premises by tenants that landlords could keep or dispose of ?without legal process.?

In 1991, Berg introduced a bill that would have made it possible for a landlord to evict a tenant if they or a guest ?act[ed] in a manner that disturbs other tenants? peaceful enjoyment of the premises.? Two years later, he introduced a bill that would have made evicted tenants ?liable for rent during the remainder of the term of the lease.?

A raft of other bills would do favorable things for the real estate industry, such as prohibiting rent control, exempting real estate agents from some workers compensation requirements, and exempting new construction from property taxes for two years. - Salon, 9/25/12

So Berg is a fan of allowing landlords be huge assholes to their tenants and evicting hard working people for bull shit reasons. ?It sure would suck to have Rick Berg as a landlord. ?Especially if you're a deployed troop fighting for his country. ?Now to be fair, Salon points out that Berg was not working at either Goldmark Schlossman or Goldmark Property Management while serving in the North Dakota House of Representatives but they bring up a great point:

But considering his past and future involvement in the real estate industry, it seems reasonable to assume that he maintained close ties with executives at Goldmark who would benefit from this legislation, and that he might have indirectly benefited himself once he started Goldmark Schlossman in 1996. - Salon, 9/25/12

? ?
Berg does not represent the people of North Dakota. ?He is the puppet for the real estate business and the representative from Goldmark. ?Imagine the type of legislation he could propose and author if he is in the Senate, especially if the GOP won control of the Senate this year. ?Berg is a self-serving member of the 1%. ?Heidi Heitkamp is a real public servant and truly represents the people of North Dakota. ?There's no way in hell President Obama is going to win North Dakota. ?N.D. is pure red but has elected Democratic Senators like Byron Dorgan who voted against the repeal of Glass-Steagall and warned us of the consequences the repeal would have on the economy. ?Deficit hawk, Kent Conrad, is retiring this year and as pistolSO has pointed out that Heitkamp's win means progress:

http://www.dailykos.com/...

Republicans may outnumber Democrats in registration but we have the better candidate who is well-known and well-liked. ?Before Heitkamp entered the race, it looked like Berg was poised for victory but now this race is a Toss Up and Heitkamp has run an amazing campaign. ?Berg is just another tea party nut job who voted for Vice Presidential nominee, Paul Ryan's (R) budget that ends medicare as we know it. ?This race is so close that the NRSC, Karl Rove and the Koch Brothers have to spend a lot of money on their own turf. ?North Dakota is a split ticket race just Dr. Richard Carmona in Arizona, Joe Donnelly in Indiana, Claire McCaskill's in Missouri, Jon Tester in Montana and Joe Manchin in West Virginia. ?The majority of voters in North Dakota have made up their mind about who they will vote for in the Presidential election but The majority of voters in North Dakota aren't so sure that Rick berg would make a great Senator. ?Lets help the good people of North Dakota make the right decision and vote in Heidi Heitkamp to the U.S. Senate:

https://secure.actblue.com/...

Source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/09/27/1136432/-ND-Sen-Rep-Rick-Berg-R-Goldmark

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