Ethics Complaint Alleges Mayoral Candidates Received Excessive Funding from Outside the City

Tuesday, August 6, 2024 – Austin, Texas

Recent allegations of ethics violations have brought Austin’s mayoral race under public scrutiny. Former Ethics Review Commission member, Betsy Greenberg, has filed ethics complaints against Mayor Kirk Watson and one of his challengers, Doug Greco. The complaints suggest that both candidates have collected more financial contributions from sources outside Austin than the city charter permits.

Allegations against Mayor Kirk Watson’s Campaign

Greenberg alleges that Watson’s campaign received over $46,000 from contributors who were not eligible voters in a postal ZIP code within or partially within Austin, a violation of the city charter. As per Greenberg’s complaint, Watson’s campaign exceeded the allowed limit by $22,105 in its filed campaign finance report on June 30. Moreover, the mayor has raised eyebrows with reported total contributions of over $710,000 from various parts of Texas.

Joe Cascino, Watson’s campaign manager, assured, “We are confident that we acted within the code and Ms. Greenberg is mistaken. We will respond to these allegations in an ethics hearing”. The details of the hearing are yet to be disclosed.

Watson Returns Funds

The Watson campaign has reportedly begun returning funds to the non-Austin contributors following the ethics violation claims. Despite numerous attempts, campaign consultant David Butts was unavailable to offer any testimony on the matter.

Doug Greco’s Campaign under Scrutiny

Greenberg noted vast amounts of Greco’s campaign funding were sourced from outside Austin – including prominent contributions from Florida, Los Angeles, and Pennsylvania. According to her, Greco surpassed the city’s contribution limit by $6,246 with a gross fundraising total of $88,334. Greenberg also pointed out suspicious donations from two Austin-based bars, the Austin Eagle and Rain on 4th.

Greco responded, “I proudly disclose that my campaign has the highest fundraising among the competitors. As a previous Austin teacher and community activist, my connections and support extend beyond the city limits. We are also exploring the legalities surrounding this issue which seems to unfairly favor established candidates.”

Greenberg admits to supporting another mayoral candidate, Carmen Llanes Pulido, amidst these legal claims. However, both complaints have been submitted to Michael Lovins, chair of the Ethics Review Commission, for further review.

Anticipated Ethics Hearing

Despite pleas for a swift hearing, city commission procedures indicate that determining a date for such a hearing could take some time, owing to backlog claims that are yet to be processed. Greenberg expressed hope the candidates would rectify the issue before the commission’s intervention and clarified she isn’t seeking punitive measures.

If found guilty of violating the law – considered a class C misdemeanor – the candidates could potentially face a fine. However, the commission lacks the authority to apply a penalty and may simply issue a letter of disapproval.

The Austin Monitor is closely following these allegations and will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available.