30 days hath September, April, June, November, and the time for some Ohio pols & a PAC to give 30K back!
Four GOP candidates will return Brennan contributions
Four Republican candidates, including state Auditor Mary Taylor, will refund nearly $30,000 in contributions received from political action committees run by charter-school operator and Akron industrialist David Brennan, in a deal with the Ohio secretary of state’s office.
Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner in April informed Brennan that she believed he illegally funneled the money in 2006 and 2007 to candidates through his Go-Go and Main Street PACs.
Essentially, the problem was that Brennan and his wife, Ann, personally maxed out their contributions to the candidates, and then skirted campaign finance limits by using his PACs — to which they were the sole contributors — to give more money, the secretary of state said.
According to campaign finance records, in 2006, the Brennans each donated $10,000 to the campaigns of Taylor, J. Kenneth Blackwell, a candidate for governor, and Betty D. Montgomery, a candidate for attorney general.
The Brennans then used their two PACs to donate about $20,000 to Ohioans for Blackwell, about $5,000 to the Citizens for Mary Taylor committee and $500 to the Montgomery Campaign Committee, also in 2006.
Campaign finance records show that in 2007, the Brennans each gave the maximum $10,000 to the campaign of Rep. William G. Batchelder, R-Medina. Records show that the two PACs together donated to the Batchelder campaign another $5,250.
The candidates have 30 days to refund the PAC money, and the Main Street PAC must refund $10,670 to Brennan. If the money is refunded, the secretary of state’s office will not pursue the matter before the Ohio Elections Commission.
From John Curry, 7/1/08
posted by Kathie Bracy at 3:21 PM
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