By Chris Fuchs
A candidate for the City Council seat in Flushing wrote a letter earlier this month seeking contributions to a private group’s fund-raiser, which has sparked some concern because potential donors were given the option of making checks payable to her political campaign.
Martha Flores-Vazquez, a Democrat who is running for Councilwoman Julia Harrison’s (D-Flushing) seat, said she sent out four letters on April 4. Three of the letters were addressed to Queens elected officials, asking them to contribute $150 and to attend a fund-raiser held by a group affiliated with the organizers of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.
The letters, she said, gave contributors an option to make their checks payable to her campaign as well as to the group, which would the donations toward a scholarship fund.
But a day later Flores-Vazquez said she revised the letter, removing the option of contributing to her campaign after she thought that giving such a choice might violate city and state election law.
She said she then resent the letter to the elected officials, including Harrison, state Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin and state Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky, all Democrats from Flushing. The fourth letter was mailed to her brother.
In a telephone interview last week, Flores-Vazquez acknowledged the error and said she asked the city Campaign Finance Board to immediately audit her filings. If she had received contributions for the April 19 event at which she was given the Betances Award for outstanding community work, she said she would have written out a check to the fund-raiser.
Frank Barry, a spokesman for the city Campaign Finance Board, said the central question was whether it was permissible for candidates to use accounts that they have set up to deposit campaign contributions for non-political purposes, an issue that could have both state and city implications.
“Nobody’s complained to us, and we haven’t looked at it,” said Lee Daghlian, a spokesman for the state Campaign Finance Board.
A subtext to this is the city’s matching funds program in which a candidate receives $4 for every dollar raised, provided that the contributions are eligible for such funds. For instance, if donors had made out checks to Flores-Vazquez’s campaign, which she maintains they did not, and if the $150 contributions were eligible for city matching funds, then she would receive $600 from in city funds, bringing the sum to $750.
Ethel Chen, a Democrat for the Flushing council seat, said she received a phone call from Flores-Vazquez Friday, telling her that she made an “honest mistake.”
“I just told her to be careful next time and check with the Campaign Finance Board,” she said.
Reach reporter Chris Fuchs by e-mail at Timesledgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 156.
