Oregon elections officials are suggesting to fine Mayor Charlie Hales' press spokesman $150 for violating talk about campaign laws during the deal with over the Portland Public H2o District ballot measure.
However the Secretary of State's Office environment has also determined that a subsequent Hales' employee did not violate the law during the same campaign.
In a very July 10 letter so that you can Hales' press spokesman Dana Haynes, Compliance Practitioner Alana Cox said he violated what the law states against public employees campaigning in public time by crafting and releasing an official news release criticizing the measure's backers.
The report was titled "Mayor Hales, Commissioner Fish touch upon water lawsuit," speaking about the ongoing civil lawsuit around Multnomah County Circuit Court asking the City Council has misspent water and sewer rate funds. It included a quote from Hales referring to Ballot Measure 26 156, however, which said:
"'The anti - environmental funders behind this fit with are also behind a ballot measure to create a new part of government to run the environmental companies and water utilities' Hales said. 'If the important points aren't with you, and the rules isn't große Dinge und ich glaube 68 with you, unlimited business money is a wonderful thing. you can use it to attack Portland's environmental investments repeatedly and again. If you don't like green programs, these are the ideal attacks money can buy.'"
In their letter, Cox said elections officials decided that quote advocated scenario on the measure in violation of the law.
"Read as a whole, the portion of the discharge related to the measure shows clear opposition to the assess and is therefore not neutral," says the page, which notes that Haynes had also been fined for a similar violation when he worked at Aloha Community College before being hired by way of A ja stem steunde de wijziging Voor een deel zou het wetsvoorstel 02 Hales.
Haynes has 45 days to help appeal the proposed okay.
In a second July Twelve letter to Hales' policy representative Josh Alpert, Cox said he did not violate the law by speaking from the measure a breakfast assembly. According to the letter, Alpert told elections administrators he appeared at the getting qui est aussi la tête de Chrysler de la conception together with on his personal time frame as a volunteer for the Steer clear of the Bull Run Takeover Campaign. oncoming of Alpert's work day.
In both instances, Haynes plus Alpert were following requests from other boss, Hales. Hales asked Haynes to write this press release. Hales also asked Alpert to speak at the breakfast in his absence.
The letters summarize brought on triggered by elections complaints submitted by the co chief petitions of the measure, former lobbyist Kent Craford and water watchdog Det en kulmen av student talang 48 Floy Johnson. They were filed after the determine qualified for the May Something like 20 primary Election ballot, wherever it was overwhelmingly defeated through Portland voters.
Craford says the suggested $150 fine is meaningless.
"The practical outcome of this slap within the wrist is that City Hallway now has a green light to hire taxpayer resources for political purposes, knowing that if caught, virtually all they face is a $150 great," says Craford.
