Apr 18, 2012
Will the Real Ricky Gill Please Stand Up?
Recent news reports have unearthed new details about Republican congressional candidate Ricky Gill (CA-09). Gill portrays himself as a “small business owner” on the campaign trail, when in fact he’s a 24 year-old law student with next to no real work experience, whose campaign is largely funded by his parents’ business connections. In an effort to distract from his lack of experience, Gill has inflated his resume and consistently points to his involvement in the family business with few details about his actual duties.
“Ricky Gill has been pulling the wool over the voters’ eyes for months with his exaggerated resume. In reality, Gill is a student with no real work experience, who is using his parents’ connections to fund his campaign,” said Amber Moon of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Californians deserve a congressman who will fight for them in Washington, but how can Ricky Gill talk about creating jobs when he’s never really had one?”
Additionally, Ricky Gill has consistently failed to properly file his campaign finance reports, raising questions about his fundraising activity and campaign spending.
Background
Impossible to Gauge Gill’s Level of Involvement in Family Businesses. In 2012, columnist Lisa Vorderbrueggen wrote, “Outside his exaggerated descriptions of his internships and a research assistant’s job, as reported recently by The Associated Press, the young man’s primary work experience has been in his family’s businesses, where it is almost impossible for outsiders to gauge his level of responsibility and duties.” [Column, Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times, 4/14/12]
Gill Caught Inflating Resume at Least Twice. In 2012, Gill posted his resume online saying that he worked as a consultant with the Educational Testing Service while finishing his undergraduate degree at Princeton — he then modified his resume. His former supervisor at ETS, Catherine Millett, said that like other college students, Gill was a research assistant on a variety of projects. Gill said in an interview that he had been a volunteer tutor at KIPP charter schools in San Francisco. A spokesman for KIPP, Steve Mancini, said Gill volunteered twice during the 2010-11 school year. [Associated Press, 4/7/12]
Gill’s Family Won’t Talk About His Work Experience. In 2012, Gill’s parents refused to talk to media about their businesses or the campaign, “an odd strategy when their son’s qualifications to serve in Congress are inextricably linked to the opportunities they have admirably fostered.” [Column, Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times, 4/14/12]
Gill Benefitted from Parents Connections. Gill benefitted “substantially from the professional and financial successes of his immigrant parents...a big chunk of his campaign contributions came from his parents’ connections in the business and close-knit Indian-American communities.” [Column, Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times, 4/14/12]
Gill Had Trouble Filing Campaign Finance Reports. In 2012, Gill had trouble with a job that was “100 percent his responsibility” — filing his campaign finance reports. “He has changed treasurers and amended the reports multiple times to correct basic errors such as failing to list rent and telephone expenses on the correct pages.” [Column, Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times, 4/14/12]
Gill Scheduled to Graduate from Law School in May 2012. In May 2012, Gill was scheduled to graduate from law school. “After graduating high school in Lodi, Gill attended Princeton University and then the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, both on full academic scholarships. He is scheduled to graduate from Berkeley next month.” [Associated Press, 4/7/12; Associated Press, 4/7/12]
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