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The Office of Campaign Finance says allegations of campaign finance violations made against the campaigns of both Mayor Adrian Fenty and Almost Mayor Vincent Gray should be dismissed.
LL first reported that Gray volunteer James Abely filed a complaint with OCF saying that Fenty’s No. 1 supporter, Ron Moten, was breaking campaign finance rules with all of his pro-Fenty go-go concerts, songs, music videos, magazine and website
OCF, according to a filing on its website, is recommending the complaint be dismissed by the Board of Elections and Ethics. According to the filing, Fenty campaign lawyer Marc Elias argued that the campaign had “neither requested nor contributed” to Moten’s videos and magazine and its website, and that Moten’s music videos were similar to the “Obama Girl” YouTube smash hit, which we are all assuming had nothing to do with Obama’s campaign.
Curiously enough, Fenty campaign chairman Bill Lightfoot also said the campaign “did not coordinate any activity with the producers of the videos,” but the Fenty campaign would “include the estimated value of the videos in its October 10” filing as “an in-kind contribution.” LL is curious to see how much that winds up costing.
The OCF is also recommending that at complaint against the Gray campaign, filed by the D.C. Republican Party, be dismissed. The complaint stemmed two full page ads in the Hill Rag and a handbill for a Gray fundraiser that did not have the required language (like “paid for”) on them. Gray campaign manager Adam Rubinson and lobbyist David Wilmot appeared before the OCF and told them that the ads were paid for by Ward 6 volunteer coordinator Charles Berger without consulting the campaign, and the fundraising handbill “was not cleared through” the Gray campaign, but any money raised from the event would be reported.