Metro

Vets received tiny portion of funds raised by pol’s PAC

ALBANY — An upstate assemblyman raised nearly $1.8 million through a political-action committee he formed to back Iraq and Afghanistan war vets running for Congress — but only $91,500 found its way to the candidates.

Most of the rest of the money raised by Assemblyman Kieran Michael Lalor (R-Fishkill) went to a small number of companies — some of which contributed to his campaigns — that made a windfall soliciting more funds in repeated mailings, federal records show.

When approached by The Post last week about why 95 percent of the contributions taken in by his PAC went to administrative costs, Lalor suddenly announced he was shutting it down because it was taking too much of his time.

“There’s 24 hours in a day, I have a family, there is only so much I can do,” the Dutchess County pol said.

Records show Lalor set up the Afghanistan & Iraq Veterans for Congress PAC in 2009 and solicited donations from around the country, targeting Republican and conservative donors. Many of the contributions were small, as little as $35.

But the outpouring for vets trying to gain a foothold in the political system was huge — he raised $1.77 million over five years. The candidates got a measly 5 percent, records show.

In the last filing covering 2013, the disbursements were even more embarrassing, with the PAC reporting total receipts of $452,268 and a shameful $9,000 going out to vet candidates. The PAC ended the year with a deficit of $14,359 — more than it contributed to Iraq and Afghanistan vets seeking public office.

“This is very shady and has every appearance of being a scam,” said Craig Holman of Public Citizen, a good-government watchdog.

In 2012, Lalor switched companies handling the PAC mailings. The bulk of the work landed with three firms: Base Connect, Century Data Mailing Service and Legacy Lists Marketing. The three companies were paid $335,199 — or 42 percent of all the funds raised by the PAC over the past two years.

Scott Mackenzie, the treasurer of the PAC, did not return phone calls seeking comment. Lalor said he brought him in to shut down the PAC account and has no other relationship to Mackenzie, who also operates other PACs.

“I don’t know him,” Lalor said.

But state campaign filings show Lalor’s Assembly campaign committee received $8,600 from four PACs associated with Mackenzie, as well as from two of the mailing companies, Base Connect and Legacy Lists.

Lalor insists he did nothing wrong and was merely trying to helps vets like himself.