During a regularly scheduled meeting today, the Campaign Finance Board assessed penalties against two campaigns. Penalties were assessed against the campaigns of Zenobia McNally for City Council in the 2007A special election and Wellington Sharpe for City Council in the 2007B special election, both in Council District 40. For details, see below:
| Candidate | Office | Public Funds Received | Violation | Penalty | Total Penalties |
| Zenobia McNally (2007A) | CD #40 | $0 | Disclosure Statement 3 filed two days late | $100 | $100 |
| Wellington Sharpe (2007B) | CD #40 | $0 | Accepting an over the limit contribution of $10,000 from the candidate. | $6,375 | $17,000 and Breach of Certification |
| Accepting an over-the-limit contribution in the form of an outstanding liability of $2,500. | $1,375 | ||||
| Accepting in-kind contributions in the form of third party payments to 65 campaign workers and failing identify the source of payments | $3,250 | ||||
| Monetary disbursements variance of 35.64% | $1,000 | ||||
| Falsifying contribution information and claiming public matching funds on the basis of falsified contribution claims | $5,000 and Breach of Certification |
The Board issued an advisory opinion to address the requirements for participation in the Campaign Finance Program for the special election in Council District 44. The deadline to file certifications to join the Program for the March 23 special election is February 8, 2010. The advisory opinion will be posted here later today. Guidance for candidates running in the special election can be found on our website here.
Pursuant to Local Law 34 of 2007, the Board announced the adjustment of expenditure limits for participants in the Campaign Finance Program, based on changes in the consumer price index (“CPI”). These adjustments are based on the percentage difference between the CPI for the metropolitan New York-New Jersey region, published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, between the calendar years 2007 and 2009. The adjusted expenditure limits take effect on March 1, 2010, and so will be in effect for the upcoming special election in Council District 44. For details, see below:
Adjusted Expenditure Limits
| Office | Expenditure Limit |
| Mayor | $6,426,000 |
| Public Advocate | $4,018,000 |
| Comptroller | $4,018,000 |
| Borough President | $1,446,000 |
| City Council | $168,000 |