A Community for All yard sign. Image courtesy: WAOW TV
WAUSAU, WI (WSAU) – The Wisconsin Ethics Commission has received a formal complaint from a Wausau resident accusing the group of illegally helping Mayor Katie Rosenberg raise funds for her reelection campaign.
According to Wausau Pilot & Review, Vada Perkins, who is represented by attorney Lane Ruhland, filed the complaint describing Community For All as a dark money organization that should be listed as a PAC (political action committee) or what’s known as an independent expenditure committee.
In a statement to Wausau Pilot & Review from Ruhland, he says that Community For All should be held to the same standard as other PACs, which includes making sure that they’re acting transparently and not violating any state laws.
“The First Amendment protects our right to engage with our elected officials and advocate for policies we believe in. That is good for the country and should be encouraged. However, our laws require that when you work to influence our elections, certain disclosure requirements apply,” Ruhland wrote.
Community For All hosted a Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser along with a candidate committee on behalf of Rosenberg’s campaign despite not being registered with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, the Internal Revenue Service, or the Wisconsin Ethics Commission, which Ruhland states makes it “impossible to quantify the amount of spending conducted,” and the amount that was raised during the event is currently unknown.
The Wisconsin Ethics Commission legally requires PACs to register within 10 days of raising money for candidates that totals over $2,500. The Commission will have the ability to decide to either toss the complaint or refer it to a prosecutor for possible civil action charges against Community For All if they feel the group committed any criminal offenses.
Perkins’s complaint further states that the event “was clearly coordinated with a candidate committee, given the candidate was at the event,” and a donation link was provided despite not having a disclaimer or details regarding where the money raised was going. It also notes that Community For All meets the legal definition of a PAC due to the amount of financial support they’ve provided to candidates and candidate committees.
The group has denied any wrongdoing and committee member Christine Salm stated that they are a grassroots community group and that the Mardi Gras-themed fundraiser cost “way less than $2,500” and called the complaint “clearly frivolous.”
Mayor Rosenberg told Wausau Pilot & Review that she is aware of the complaint but had no further comment.
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