CFB Votes on Enforcement Matters for Two City Council Campaigns
03/14/2019
At today's public meeting, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) determined that two campaigns committed violations and assessed penalties for those violations. One of the campaigns is from the 2017 election in City Council District 44, and the other is from the 2015 election in City Council District 23. One campaign was also required to repay public funds. Refer to the tables below for details on these determinations. Archived video footage of the meeting is available at nyccfb.info/live.
During the meeting, the Board also voted to ratify public funds payments made on February 21 to candidates in the 2019 special election for Public Advocate.
The Board also recognizes campaigns that completed the post-election audit process without any violations or penalties assessed by the Board. The CFB initiated this recognition process for the 2017 election cycle. The Board applauds the following candidates and their campaign staff for their diligence in running a campaign that maintained compliance with NYC's campaign finance law.
Completed Audit Process Without Violations or Penalties Assessed by Board (2017 Elections)
| Candidate | Office / District | Program Participant |
Public Funds Received |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vincenzo Chirico | City Council District 43 |
Yes | $100,100 |
| Ruben Diaz, Sr. | City Council District 18 |
No | $0 |
| Vanessa L. Gibson | City Council District 16 |
Yes | $0 |
| Robert F. Holden | City Council District 30 |
Yes | $200,200 |
| Ivan D. Mossop | City Council District 28 |
Yes | $0 |
| Nancy Tong | City Council District 43 |
Yes | $100,100 |
| Candidate (Election Cycle) | Office | Violation | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Grodenchik(2015) Public Funds Received: $188,996 |
City Council (District 23) | 1. Failing to provide bank and merchant account statements |
$500 | $3,807 |
2. Failing to demonstrate compliance with cash receipts reporting and documentation requirements |
$82 | |||
3. Failing to demonstrate compliance with subcontractor reporting and documentation requirements |
$100 | |||
4. Accepting contributions from unregistered political committees |
$125 | |||
5. Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign |
$250 | |||
6. Making impermissible post-election expenditures |
$250 | |||
7. Failing to respond to the Initial Documentation Request |
$2,500 |
| Candidate (Election Cycle) | Office | Violation | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harold Tischler(2017) Public Funds Received: $0 |
City Council (District 44) | 1. Failing to report transactions |
$638 | $1,138 |
| 2. Failing to demonstrate compliance with reporting requirements for receipts | $500 |
Public Funds Repayment
| Candidate (Election Cycle) |
Public Funds Received |
Repayment of Public Funds |
|---|---|---|
Barry Grodenchik (2015) City Council (District 23) |
$188,996 | $770.17* |
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