Beck Cultural Center is a 501 (c) (3) and because of that status they are NOT allowed to engage in political campaign activities. Well, tonight Beck Center Director Avon Rollins and his wife. Along with County Commissioner Sam McKenzie and his wife. Along with former County Commission Chairman and Knoxville Mayoral employee Thomas “Tank” Strickland and his wife had a Meet and Greet for City Council Candidate and Former County Commissioner Finbarr Saunders. The Meet and Greet was held tonight at the Beck Center from 5 – 7 p.m. Below is a picture of the invitation.
This is almost beyond belief! These folks obviously think the rules don't apply to them…of course that is a prominent paradigm in the Knox County world of grants apparently.
I have served on 501 c 3 Boards and this is a well known no no! These folks are asking for serious trouble from the IRS.
Sandy Loy
I agree. I have served on 501 (c) (3) boards and know better
Beck Center board members are allowed to function as private citizens, and that is what they are doing here.
The Beck Center has a banquet hall they rent out; it is one of their fundraising mechanisms. Neither renting the facility to a campaign nor allowing their board members to express their rights as citizens constitutes a violation of their 501c3.
Nice investigation Brian, the KNS needs someone like you on staff to report for them, oh wait they wouldn't print it anyway.
I believe the IRS will disagree with your interpretation. Where there's smoke, there's fire
If the private citizen test would float the 501 c 3 regulations would all be meaningless because every 501 c 3 has private citizens working there.
Go to http://www.beckcenter.net/category/events/ and see the event calendar. One event in the entire year of 2011. And this is in a year which they are fully funded.
Private citizens supporting a candidate is not the violation, but to hold a political meet and greet at a 501 c 3 that recieves funds is. Why do you think Churches are not allowed to hold similar meet and greets for candidates because they will loose their 501c3 status.
Another major story you can't find in the daily paper.
Great reporting. Maybe WBIR and WNOX can follow up.
I quess no other media outlet is going to investigate this or even report it. If this was the Hope Center that held a meet and greet for a Republican candidate this would have been reported the same night, since it was the Beck Center and Finbarr Saunders(who the KNS endorses everytime he runs for something)will not report on this. Beck should lose their 501(c)3 status and Finbarr if anything should have known better.
How is this not in the local press? This is a huge IRS violation. How many other times has this happened at Beck?