Brewster McCracken ignores City Law while raising $67,000

Brewster McCracken ignores
City Law while raising $67,000.

Formal complaint filed.

I filed a formal complaint on Councilmember Brewster McCracken Wednesday with the City of Austin Municipal Court. City of Austin campaign finance laws demand candidates reveal who is collecting money for their campaigns.

Brewster McCracken’s 30 day finance report failed to list the names and addresses of the people who have solicited and obtained about 500 contributions (also called bundlers) for McCracken. Not one bundler was listed, for any of the 500 contributions, some of which were from couples with a total of over $67,000 raised.

Last year Betty Dunkerly listed Lowell H. Lebermann, Jr., the toll authorities vice chair, as a bundler for her campaign. I reported that fact.

Brewster McCracken has taken the lead on City Hall back room deals, crafted ballot language to torpedo a citizens Open Government Amendment - that a judge later ruled was illegal, voted to toll hundreds of millions of dollars worth of roads we’ve already paid for, hijacked the Toll Road Independent Study with other tollers AND NOW McCracken is "hiding the ball" and ignoring the law by not listing the names of the special interest people that have collected money for his campaign.

As stated in the Austin City Charter and Code of Ordinances, ARTICLE 3. DISCLOSURES AND FILING PROCEDURES FOR CONTRIBUTION AND EXPENDITURE REPORTS:

§ 2-2-14 FUNDRAISING AND BUNDLING BY INTERMEDIARIES. Candidates and officeholders shall include in their contribution and expenditure reports the name and address of any person who solicits and obtains contributions on their behalf, during a reporting period, of $100 or more per person from five or more individuals. This disclosure requirement shall not apply to individuals who raise funds in an aggregate amount of $5,000 or less for a candidate or officeholder through a fundraising event in that individual’s residence. Source: 1992 Code Section 2-9-14; Ord. 031204-9; Ord. 031211-11.