RYAN POPPE
Three weeks earlier than Election Day and 6 days earlier than the beginning of early vote casting within the Houston mayoral race, the city attorney mentioned he continues to seem into a couple of complaints submitted by way of U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson and Gilbert Garcia, who’ve been not able to compare Texas Sen. John Whitmire each in polling in addition to in campaign fundraising and spending.
Garcia and Jackson Lee, who together with Whitmire are a number of the 17 mayoral applicants who might be at the Nov. 7 poll, allege that Whitmire’s campaign has doubtlessly violated city ordinances associated with campaign financing. In two collectively written letters dated Sept. 28 and Oct. 13, Garcia and Jackson Lee accuse Whitmire’s campaign of using an excessive amount of cash from his battle chest as an established state senator and query the $2.7 million his campaign not too long ago reported in funding good points and passion dividends from shares bought and bought by way of his campaign.
The first letter requested Houston City Attorney Arturo Michel to weigh in at the subject by way of Oct. 12, however he had but to take action as of Tuesday.
“We’re still looking at it and need to look at it very carefully,” Michel mentioned in connection with each complaints. “Anything involving an election is always subject to scrutiny.”
Whitmire is thought of as the frontrunner to be successful the term-limited Sylvester Turner, in keeping with a ballot launched closing week by way of the Hobby School of Public Affairs on the University of Houston, which confirmed that Jackson Lee is operating 2nd within the race and Garcia, a former METRO board chair, is probably the most liked candidate a number of the remainder of the pack.
Whitmire’s campaign additionally used to be probably the most a success fundraiser and largest spender all over the newest reporting length, between July and September, pulling in additional than $1 million in donations all over that span whilst spending just about $4 million. His campaign additionally reported having just about $6.9 million in money readily available.
Garcia and Jackson Lee claimed of their first letter to the city attorney that, according to earlier finance reviews filed by way of Whitmire’s campaign, he must be restricted to the usage of the $1.7 million or so he has raised since Jan. 1, 2022, which is the start of the contribution cycle for the mayoral race. They additionally allege that Whitmire’s campaign up to now reported $43,500 in extra contributions, with city regulations restricting donations to $5,000 in keeping with particular person and $10,000 in keeping with political motion committee all over an election cycle.
Garcia, in an interview with Houston Public Media, mentioned the city ordinance may well be interpreted as limiting officeholders to a complete of $10,000 from non-mayoral campaigns. But Michel mentioned a prior resolution made below the management of former Mayor Annise Parker permits applicants to make use of as much as $5,000 in keeping with particular person or $10,000 in keeping with PAC that had been donated to non-mayoral campaigns.
“We’d like (Michel) to opine on it one way or another,” Garcia mentioned. “If we are incorrect in our general reading, well, I think then the public is well-served, knowing nothing is wrong. But if we’re correct, I think it’s important the public knows, because No. 1, it’s disadvantaging the other candidates.”
Sue Davis, a spokesperson for the Whitmire campaign who up to now labored for Turner’s mayoral campaigns, pushed aside the accusations made by way of Garcia and Jackson Lee, announcing, “We’ve abided by the law from the very beginning on everything that we’ve done in this campaign,” together with with the usage of price range generated by way of inventory gross sales. The Whitmire campaign reported greater than $2.7 million in funding returns from July thru September, when it bought inventory stocks in corporations equivalent to Apple, IBM, Microsoft and Walmart.
Angelica Luna-Kaufman, a spokesperson for Jackson Lee’s campaign, mentioned it’s not wondering the usage of inventory gross sales to spice up campaign finances, which is permitted by way of the Texas Ethics Commission and no longer unusual amongst political applicants. At factor, Luna-Kaufman mentioned, is whether or not the bought shares had been at first bought the usage of contributions to Whitmire’s senate campaign or donations to his mayoral campaign.
Luna-Kaufman mentioned the newest file filed by way of the Whitmire campaign does no longer specify which is the case.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
“I think it’s about transparency, really,” Luna-Kaufman mentioned. “We’ve worked really hard to maintain that level of transparency and making sure that everybody is playing by the same rules, especially in our case, since we’re the two frontrunners, the Congresswoman and Whitmire. We just need to make sure the playing field is equal and transparent.”
Garcia left open the potential for submitting a lawsuit over the subject, relying at the resolution made by way of Michel, who mentioned the ones discovered to be in violation of the city’s campaign finance regulations are matter to misdemeanor citations in municipal court docket. Garcia mentioned the complaints submitted by way of him and Jackson Lee are within the passion of clarifying city regulations and making sure they’re being enforced similarly, along with offering information that citizens can use once they solid their ballots.
Davis chalked up the complaints to political posturing within the run-up to an election.
“They’re desperate,” she mentioned of Garcia and Jackson Lee. “These are losing candidates who are desperate.”
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