At a regularly scheduled meeting today, the New York City Campaign Finance Board voted on enforcement matters for five campaigns involved in the 2013 citywide election cycle.
The Board determined that five campaigns committed violations and assessed penalties. In addition, the Board determined that three campaigns are required to repay public funds. Details of the Board’s determinations are outlined in the charts below.
Board Chair Rose Gill Hearn issued the following statement: "The Campaign Finance Program helps hundreds of candidates mount campaigns for public office in New York City. In every campaign, those public funds help candidates enter the public sphere who otherwise would not be able to run. Those added voices enrich our civic life. It is our responsibility as the Board to ensure those taxpayer funds are administered in the way that the law requires. That oversight ensures the public matching funds program continues to thrive and receive public support. Thanks to the work of the CFB staff, many, many candidates can run competitive campaigns and navigate ths system without receiving violations or penalties from the Board. We always appreciate the input we receive from candidtes who share their experiences with us. As we continue to innovate and improve the way we do our work, I am certain many candidates will continue to run campaigns that comply with the law."
Chair Gill Hearn made additional remarks on the need for meaningful ethics and campaign finance reform in Albany. "If we want to restore voters' faith in our system, we need our state leaders to set new standards in Albany, starting now." Go to the CFB's blog for her full opening statement.
Archived video of today’s meeting is available at www.nyccfb.info/live.
Violations and Penalties
(for details, follow the link in Total Penalties column)
| Candidate | Violation | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|
Joseph Concannon Candidate, 2013 City Council District 23 Non-participant |
Failing to demonstrate compliance with reporting requirements for disbursements | $125 | $350 |
| Filing a late disclosure statement | $100 | ||
| Accepting contributions from corporations and limited liability corporations | $125 |
| Candidate | Violation | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|
Marc Landis Candidate, 2013 City Council District 6 Program Participant: |
Filing a late disclosure statement | No Penalty | $1,101 |
| Accepting an over-the-limit contribution | No Penalty | ||
| Exceeding the primary election expenditure limit | $1,101 |
| Candidate | Violation | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|
Stephen Levin Candidate, 2013 City Council District 33 Program Participant: |
Accepting a contibution from a corporation | $125 | $1,127 |
| Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign | $600 | ||
| Making impermissible post-election expenditures | $402 |
| Candidate | Violation | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|
Carlos Menchaca Candidate, 2013 City Council District 38 Program Participant: |
Failing to provide merchant account statements | $500 | $2,313 |
| Failing to report transactions | $100 | ||
| Failing to file daily pre-election disclosure statements | $100 | ||
| Accepting contributions from unregistered political committees | $250 | ||
| Failing to document a transaction | $100 | ||
| Making impermissible post-election expenditures | $851 | ||
| Exceeding the expenditure limit | $412 |
| Candidate | Violation | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|
Ritchie Torres Candidate, 2013 City Council District 15 Program Participant: |
Failing to timely deposit campaign contributions | $250 | $1,711 |
| Filing a late disclosure statement | No Penalty | ||
| Failing to file and late filing of pre-election disclosure statements | $125 | ||
| Accepting an over-the-limit contribution | $250 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with intermediary reporting and documentation requirements | No Penalty | ||
| Failing to document transactions | $100 | ||
| Making impermissible post-election expenditures | $836 | ||
| Late response to the Draft Audit Report | $150 |
Public Funds Repayments
| Candidate |
Public Funds Received (does not reflect repayment obligation) |
Public Funds Repayment |
|
Stephen Levin Candidate, 2013 City Council District 33 |
$114,345 | $772.76 * |
|
Carlos Menchaca Candidate, 2013 City Council District 38 |
$115,500 | $18,862.53 * |
|
Ritchie Torres Candidate, 2013 City Council District 15 |
$143,460 | $7,143.01 * |
* Amount reflects the campaign's final bank balance
–30–