By Buck Fuller
Why should the City Council pass tougher campaign finance reforms for City elections when City officials can’t even follow today’s rules?
Oh, this lofty measure is coming out of Councilor Kate Cook’s virtuous Governance Committee! Nothing can go wrong there!
2021 Disclosure Mandates Not Met by the Mayor and Assistant Mayor
Let’s look at what didn’t happen in 2021. You see, there were certainly discrepancies in the financial disclosures mandated by law in the 2021 City elections which have never been resolved.
For example, a Political Action Committee (PAC) called New Hampshire Young Democrats gave money to two City Council candidates, both of whom won their elections. They are Mayor Deaglan McEachern and Assistant Mayor Joanna Kelley. According to the PAC’s filing, which covered activities prior to Election Day on November 2, 2021, Kelley received $1,130. McEachern received $880.50.
Understand that the PAC did not file its report until November 22, 2021, so we voters did not have access to this information until well past the election.
Not to worry! Kelley reported in her second campaign disclosure form filed after the election that she received $250 from the New Hampshire Young Democrats, not the $1,130 the PAC reported. Assistant Mayor Kelley says numbers are not her strong suit. No kidding.
Unfortunately, according to the City, the Mayor’s second filing has yet to be found. Oops. We’re sure he’s still getting around to it.
No Surprise: Councilor Tabor’s Hand Is in the Cookie Jar, Too
Apparently, there are no consequences to these fraudulent reporting activities. Note that Councilor Tabor’s recent campaign literature (mailed October 2023) contained no attribution indicating who paid for its production, violating NH RSA 664:14. Tisk, tisk. Tabor says he “Gets Results!” But the results are apparently ill-gotten.
Let’s Change the Subject, Nothing to See Here
In a belated move to capture the high ground for transparency, the Governance Committee proposed changes to the “Conflict of Interest/Mandatory Financial Disclosure for Candidates” ordinance. These also would include penalties for nonelected officials including Political Action Committees (PACs) not included in prior election disclosures.
Well, that should fix the problem! Except conveniently, this attempt at the October 16 City Council meeting to eliminate disclosure “loopholes” would not be effective until the 2025 election. Talk about closing the barn door too late!
Are the current City Councilors practicing stand-up comedy for our benefit? If so, they have a sick sense of humor. It is sobering to understand that our politicians seem more interested in virtue signaling to keep us voters in the dark.
Source featured image: cagle.com
