$34K in dark $$$ propping up O'Connell campaign
Borges demands O'Connell come clean on secret plot that raised $34,000 from seven individuals doing business with the city
TAUNTON - Embattled Mayor Shaunna O'Connell's campaign has been caught running a dark money scheme that used a right-wing Super PAC to raise $34,000 from seven individuals whose firms are doing business with the city.
The funds have been spent on a streaming TV ad campaign and to pay the law firm that represented O'Connell in her domestic violence/assault and battery criminal case.
"The corruption in this mayor's office knows no bounds," said City Councilor Estele Borges, who is challenging O'Connell. "Voters are sick and tired of the unethical, dishonest behavior. This is yet another example of Shaunna O'Connell acting like she is above the law. Tauntonians are tired of there being one set of rules for them and another for her. Funneling money from people doing millions of dollars of business in Taunton is pay-to-play at its worst. Taunton deserves better."
The Super PAC, Restoring American Values Inc. is based in Wisconsin and is run by Thomas Datwyler who has a track record of violating Federal Elections Commission rules while supporting right wing Republican candidates, including former New York Congressman George Santos who was forced to resign and later convicted of fraud.
View Office of Campaign and Political Finance filings of Restoring American Values, Inc.
Despite ads running on streaming services since September, the organization only filed with the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) on October 21, which means it was operating illegally in Massachusetts for over a month. The filing states that the PAC exists to "promote conservative values across Taunton."
The list of donors to the Restoring American Values, Inc. includes:
• Joseph Di Pietro of Pembroke (Celco Construction Corp. - $3,000)
• Curtis Edgin of Easthampton (Caolo & Bieniek Architects - $5,000)
• John Horton of Bourne (HM LOPES LLC - $5,000)
• Marcello Louro of Fall River (LaL Construction Co. - $8,000)
• (Dsm Property Group LLC - $5,000)
• Diane Perry of Taunton (G. Lopes Construction, Inc - $3,000)
• Patrick Tompkins of Waltham (Cta Construction Managers LLC - $5,000)
Many of these donors have contracts with the City of Taunton for services ranging from paving to work on the new public safety building. The maximum annual individual contribution allowed to a municipal campaign is $1,000.
Expenditures by the Super PAC include $8,500 for the Law Office of James McMahon, the firm that represented O'Connell in court when she was charged with assault and battery on a family member several months ago and became the only mayor in Massachusetts to serve on probation while in office. The other major expenditure was $20,500 for advertising.
Four weeks ago, the Borges campaign was made aware of illegal ads running on Apple TV, and filed a complaint with OCPF. It has since learned the ads are also running on the Tubi streaming service and other digital platforms. Borges is now repeating her demand that O'Connell disclose the financial details of this advertising purchase, and return all donations that were illegally solicited and received.
The ads in question, which feature O'Connell speaking directly to the camera, initially violated at least three campaign finance laws:
1. According to the ad's disclaimer, Restoring American Values, Inc paid for these ads. In Massachusetts, corporations cannot donate to or make expenditures on behalf of a campaign.
2. Restoring American Values, Inc. had not filed with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance prior to launching its ad campaign. All political activity in Massachusetts must be reported to this entity. It only filed after more than a month and multiple campaign finance complaints were issued.
3. Despite the ad claiming the ad is "Not authorized by any candidate or committee," Mayor O'Connell and/or people associated with her office and campaign clearly coordinated with the outside organization because she is staring right into the camera when making the statement, and the video itself has not been located on any public platform that the outside organization could have lifted if from. Campaign finance law dictates that no Independent Expenditure PAC (IE PAC), more commonly known as a SuperPAC may coordinate with a candidate's campaign.
Now that donors have been made public, additional questions have arisen, including who solicited the illegal contributions, how did O'Connell coordinate with the SuperPAC, and what promises were made for these donations?
“It defies logic that eight individuals with financial stakes in Taunton would spontaneously donate thousands of dollars to a Wisconsin Super PAC with a reputation for unethical practices,” Borges said.
Borges is calling for a full criminal investigation to be launched into this illegally operating organization and its backers.