Candidate Committee Made Unlawful Expenditure To Support Another Candidate

DENVER – Colorado Ethics Watch, a nonpartisan, nonprofit legal watchdog group, today filed a letter with the Fort Collins City Clerk Wanda Krajicek, noting a potential campaign finance violation and asking Ms. Krajicek to submit a violation report to the city manager.  According to tips and research, Ethics Watch believes that Andrew Boucher, a candidate for City Council in District 5, sent a fundraising appeal in February of this year to voters in Fort Collins.  In addition to asking for contributions and promoting his own campaign in this appeal, Mr. Boucher also asked recipients of the letter to support Aislinn Kottwitz, a candidate for City Council in District 3. 

The contribution card enclosed with the letter included a solicitation for checks to Aislinn Kottwitz’s campaign committee as well as for Mr. Boucher’s committee.  The card indicates that the mailing was paid for by “Andrew Boucher for Council.” 

“It appears that Mr. Boucher’s campaign spent more than $3,000 for a mass mailing that promoted not only his own campaign, but also Ms. Kottwitz’s campaign, in violation of Fort Collins City Code,” said Luis Toro, senior counsel for Colorado Ethics Watch.  “This mailing was effectively a contribution to Ms. Kottwitz’s campaign when city code dictates that ‘No candidate committee shall make a contribution or contribution in kind to, or accept a contribution or contribution in kind from, a candidate committee of another candidate.’ Mr. Boucher must be held accountable for his campaign committee’s actions, and the city manager should investigate whether Ms. Kottwitz accepted an unlawful contribution by participating in the mailing.” 

Boucher’s candidate committee’s payment for this mailing that solicited funds for Ms. Kottwitz’s campaign and advised voters that “she’ll need our support” and “[w]e must hold Diggs’ seat” is clearly a contribution or contribution in kind to Ms. Kottwitz’s campaign committee, or an independent expenditure on behalf of her campaign, because it was made for the purpose of influencing the election. 

More information about Ethics Watch’s letter of complaint against Andrew Boucher for Council can be found at www.coloradoforethics.org.  

Colorado Ethics Watch is a non-profit, legal watchdog group dedicated to identifying and exposing ethics issues in city, county and state governments in Colorado, ultimately holding public officials accountable.  For more information, please visit www.coloradoforethics.org or contact Luis Toro at (303) 626-2100 or ltoro@coloradoforethics.org.