David Riley

@rilzd

Monroe County Republicans consistently rake in more donations than many other county-level political parties in New York. Campaign finance reports shed light on one reason for the party's fundraising prowess: Former county executive Jack Doyle.

A recent campaign disclosure report shows that the GOP paid Doyle — or John D. Doyle LLC — $45,593 in March for professional services. It was the latest in a series of payments that stretch back to 2009, totaling just under $600,000.

The party contracts with Doyle to work as a fundraiser, county Republican Chairman Bill Reilich said recently. Doyle works on commission, Reilich said, meaning that he earns a percentage of the donations he brings in.

Reilich declined to say what that percentage is, but he said Doyle typically raises "probably 10 times" what he earns.

Hiring a fundraiser is not a new arrangement for the party. Nor is it unusual for a political organization on either side of the aisle to tap a high-profile or powerful figure to reach out to potential donors. Democrats, after all, have long relied on Joseph Morelle, the Assembly majority leader, to lead the local party and raise money for them.

But contracting a former public official as a fundraiser on commission appears to be relatively rare for a county-level political committee in this area, and the practice is part of what sets the local GOP operation apart from many others.

"You're right to note we're the exception — exceptionally successful," Reilich said.

In a brief phone conversation, Doyle described his role in straightforward terms.

"I make a few phone calls here and there to people I know, and that's about it," he said.

Between its regular campaign committee and a separate "housekeeping" account, the county GOP often reports total receipts of more than $1 million each election cycle. In the 2012 cycle, reported contributions to the two GOP committees totaled about $1.5 million.

The Monroe County Democratic Committee also hit the $1 million mark in total receipts last year, but more often, it lags behind the GOP in fundraising. In this year's election cycle, local Republicans reported roughly $734,000 in total receipts so far; Democrats reported about $462,000.

Payments to Doyle come from the Republicans' housekeeping committee, which can accept unlimited donations for general party expenses, but cannot be used to support specific candidates.

Before Doyle, the party had Irene Matichyn as a fundraiser until about 2009. Reilich said he asked Doyle to step in after Matichyn moved on. She had established relationships with people in significant roles in Monroe County, Reilich said.

"Jack Doyle is no longer the county executive, but certainly knows a lot of these people over the years," he said. "The biggest hurdle that you have to overcome when raising money is getting somebody to answer the phone."

Doyle, 72, was executive from 1995 to 2003, and earlier was Monroe County attorney and a state Supreme Court justice.

Morelle, the Monroe County Democratic Committee chairman, is often is the main contact between his party and donors.

But Morelle tried to draw a distinction between the way that the parties raise money. Democrats have two staffers who support fundraising efforts, and both are salaried, he said. Morelle himself received more than $20,000 in salary for his work at the party, according to disclosure reports.

Morelle said he does not want to pay his staff commission because it could encourage them to pressure donors.

"I never felt that it was an ethical practice, and so we have never engaged in it, and my hope is we never will," said Morelle, who is not seeking another term as chairman and is leaving the role next week.

Reilich said he has hired people on commission since he ran his own business, Upstate Alarm, because he believes it encourages daily effort.

"I was always more comfortable with people working in those sorts of roles," Reilich said. "I think we're getting a good value."

Not many county committees in this part of the state appear to use the same approach, including the GOP in Erie County and both Republicans and Democrats in Onondaga County. The Nassau County Republican Committee on Long Island — widely viewed as one of the most successful county-level GOP operations in the state — does not have a fundraiser working on commission, either.

The New York State Republican Committee is a different matter.

"Fundraising is a necessary part of campaigning and it's not unusual for fundraisers working on a contract basis to receive a percentage of the funds they raise," said David Laska, a committee spokesman, in an email. "The state party has from time to time retained private fundraisers who are compensated by commission."

Campaign disclosures show the housekeeping committee began paying Doyle in 2009. He earned roughly $17,500 that year, $144,000 in 2010, $180,000 in 2011, $103,000 in 2012 and $108,500 last year, the reports show.

In last year's election cycle, the GOP paid about $93,000 on payroll, not including taxes or payments to Doyle. Monroe County Democrats spent about $280,000 on payroll — nearly three times as much as Republicans.

Susan Lerner, executive director for good-government group Common Cause/NY, described the county GOP as a "money machine." Her group is often critical of the role of money in politics in New York, and she said that the volumes of money raised locally are further signs that contribution limits and rules on donations from people who do business with government should be more strict.

"It's a perfect example of the problem of special interests using money, political money, in our system to gain access and advantage that the ordinary New Yorkers doesn't have," Lerner said.

DRILEY@DemocratandChronicle.com

Twitter.com/rilzd