Save DC Now PAC table outside early voting
center at One Judiciary Square
Joshua Lopez at table |
Write in Fenty sign at early voting center at
Turkey Thicket Recreation Center |
DCWatch
1327 Girard Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20009-4915
202-234-6982
http://www.dcwatch.com
October 22, 2010
Ms. Cecily E. Collier-Montgomery
Director, Office of Campaign Finance
2000 14th Street, NW, Suite 433
Washington, DC 20009
Re: Complaint Regarding Fenty Write-In Campaign
Dear Ms. Montgomery:
This is a formal complaint filed with the DC Office of Campaign Finance
(OCF) regarding ongoing actions by the Save DC Now PAC, the “write-in
Fenty” campaign.
In preparation for the 2010 election, and in keeping with District law,
Mayor Adrian Fenty filed the “Fenty 2010 Committee” (PCCMYR104668) as
his principal campaign committee with OCF, naming Ben Soto as the
committee’s treasurer. The stated purpose of the committee was to raise
and expend funds for Fenty’s 2010 primary campaign for the office of
mayor. Under DC law (DC Code 1-1102.10, “Identification of campaign
literature), all campaign literature, advertisements, and paraphernalia
purchased by the Fenty 2010 Committee must be identified by the words “paid
for by the Fenty 2010 Committee.”
With Mayor Fenty’s defeat in the September 14 primary, the Fenty 2010
Committee and the Fenty campaign must, under District law, cease its
operations and close out all it accounts.
On September 27, 2010, the Save DC Now PAC, Inc., registered as a
political action committee with the Office of Campaign Finance in order to
raise and expend funds to promote a campaign to write-in Adrian Fenty as a
candidate for mayor in the November 2, 2010, general election. Currently,
however, the Save DC Now PAC is using campaign materials, including
posters, pencils, and campaign stickers, that were purchased by and
produced for the Fenty 2010 Committee and that bear the identification,
“Paid for by Fenty 2010, Ben Soto, Treasurer. A copy of our report is
filed with the Director of Campaign Finance.” At the same time and, in
many instances at the same locations, the write-in campaign is also
distributing campaign literature that properly identifies the write-in
campaign as being funded by the Save DC Now PAC. (See the attached
photographs taken at the early voting site at 441 4th Street, NW, on
October 20, 2010.)
I believe that the actions of the Save DC Now PAC violate the District’s
campaign finance laws, in that the PAC is using, in its campaign in the
general election, campaign materials that were purchased by another
campaign (Fenty 2010) for the primary election. I ask that the OCF issue a
cease and desist order barring the write-in campaign from using Fenty 2010
campaign materials. At the very least, I ask OCF to hold an immediate
show-cause hearing on this matter to determine how the Save DC Now PAC
obtained Fenty 2010 campaign materials and whether its use of these
materials violates the District’s campaign finance laws.
Sincerely,
Dorothy Brizill
cc: William O. SanFord, General Counsel, OCF
Kenneth McGhie, General Counsel, BOEE
Notary:
I, Dorothy Brizill, swear and affirm that the information contained in
this complaint is truthful to the best of my knowledge.
Dorothy A. Brizill
October 22, 2010
_________________________
Notary |
