Diebold Stops Top Executives From Making Political Donations

[Lou_C]

Diebold Stops Top Executives From Making Political Donations
The Associated Press
Published: Jun 6, 2004

NORTH CANTON, Ohio (AP) - Diebold Inc., criticized last year for selling electronic voting machines while its chairman raised money for Republican political candidates, has banned its senior executives from making such donations.
The company's board of directors last week passed an amendment to its business ethics policy, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. It states that top Diebold officials "may not make contributions to, directly or indirectly, any political candidate, party, election issue or cause, or participate in any political activities, except for voting."

Walden W. O'Dell, Diebold's chairman and chief executive officer, was criticized in August 2003 for having a $1,000-a-plate Republican fund-raiser at his suburban Columbus home. In a letter inviting people to attend, O'Dell said he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."

He has since said he feels badly about the letter and has sworn off politics.

The new policy applies to the company's CEO, president, chief financial officer and others responsible for oversight of McKinney, Texas-based Diebold Elections Systems, the subsidiary that deals directly with the voting machines, according to the filing.

The policy places the same restriction on all employees of Diebold Elections Systems. Diebold spokesman Mike Jacobsen said Sunday it doesn't apply to people who work for other divisions of the company. He said neither O'Dell nor the company has made any political contributions since October of last year and that O'Dell spearheaded the policy change.


http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB1VC5Y5VD.html


Hotdog dinner for $1,000.00 dollars....I think that I will pass.

[Andy_Stephenson]

1. In Texas...this is what we call...

Shutting the barn door after the cow has gotten out.

Edit: Great PR move.

[bluestateguy]

2. That does not cut it

We need a law that says if you are an executive of a company getting government contracts you are disallowed from making donations.

[Andy_Stephenson]

3. I have another novel idea.

take the profit motive out of elections.

[SoCalDem]

4. Too little too late...and.. there are always ways to "donate"

Our country is "overly political" right now, and EVERY corporation has ties of one kind or another to politicians..

THAT'S what's got to stop..

NO MORE LOBBYING...

[meow2u3]

11. Make that....no more CORPORATE lobbying

The only ones who should be allowed to lobby are natural persons.

[abracadabra]

5. that's cool--some media attention to the INTENTION of Black Box Deibold

now that they say they won't be crooks anymore they can explain why they were crooks before...
Even the stupidest of all people can recognize this basic conflict of interest.
no genius required.

Can we really have team players as Refs in the election game???


.

[Lou_C]

6. Wouldn't it be funny if they served their Dinners in black boxes

You know how Bush hates hearing silverware clang while he is mumbling? A good idea would be to serve their food in black containers shaped like a Die-bold Box...kind of like a to-go take away box.

Just an idea for a republican fund raiser.

[truthisfreedom]

7. who give's a rat's butt what these guys say? they are totally corrupt.

they should be in prison.

[dusty64]

8. We already know the

motivations of the company and its extremist execs. They can't stuff the cat back into the bag, sorry.

[President Jesus]

9. A list of what these guys have been giving (nearly 100% republican)

Diebold executives campaign contributions to date

Walden O'Dell
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Diebold
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=O%27Dell&first=Walden

Eric C. Evans
President and Chief Operating Officer
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Evans&first=Eric

Gregory T. Geswein
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Geswein&first=Gregory

Michael J. Hillock
President, Diebold International
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Hillock&first=Michael

David Bucci
Senior Vice President, Customer Solutions Group
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Bucci&first=David

Thomas W. Swidarski
Senior Vice President, Strategic Development & Global Marketing
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Swidarski&first=Thomas

James L.M. Chen
Vice President and Managing Director, Asia-Pacific, Diebold
(none found)

Warren W. Dettinger
Vice President, General Counsel and Assistant Secretary, Diebold
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Dettinger&first=Warren

Charee Francis-Vogelsang
Vice President and Secretary, Diebold
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Vogelsang&first=Charee

Larry D. Ingram
Vice President, Global Procurement
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Ingram&first=Larry

Kevin J. Krakora
Vice President and Corporate Controller
(none)

Dennis M. Moriarty
Vice President, Customer Business Solutions
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=NJ&last=Moriarty&first=Dennis

Daniel J. O'Brien
Vice President, Global Product Management and Engineering
(none)

Anthony J. Rusciano
Vice President, Customer Solutions Group, Marketing and Sales Practices
(none)

Charles B. Scheurer
Vice President, Corporate Human Resources
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Scheurer&first=Charles

Robert J. Warren
Vice President and Treasurer, Diebold
http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=OH&last=Warren&first=Robert

[PATRICK]

10. personally I would encourage all such acts

of arrogant stupidity done in public. They didn't think it enough to be the corporate broker of ALL world elections? They had to fork over a few bucks and schmooze and brag to their political patrons?

We are lucky they did show their hand- and their stupidity. Simply going underground with their threat to democracy is cleaning anything except their critical PR image if that is still enough to sell us our digital shackles and slave collars.

Again they render the political reality "invisible" and "unverifiable".

Poof. Problem solved.