During a regularly scheduled meeting today, the Campaign Finance Board announced a post-election payment of $6,902 to the campaign of Paul D. Saryian, a candidate for City Council in the February 24, 2009 special election in District 49.
The Board also issued an advisory opinion addressing the application of doing business contribution limits to a candidate who has not declared an intended office.
Candidates who have not declared the office they plan to seek will receive notice of a potential violation if they have accepted a doing business contribution above $250, the lowest possible doing business limit (for City Council).
Undeclared candidates will not initially be penalized for accepting doing business contributions as large as $400, the highest possible doing business limit (for citywide offices).
Once the candidate declares which office he/she is running for, however, the candidate must return any portion of contributions that exceed the applicable doing business limit within twenty days. Failure to do so in a timely fashion may result in penalties or withholding of public funds.
To avoid the notice of potential violations, and any possible penalties or withholdings, undeclared candidates are advised not to accept (or to refund) any doing business contributions larger than $250, in the event they choose not to run for an office with a higher doing business contribution limit.