By Michael Morton
Lewis, the assistant commissioner for community relations at the Parks and Recreation Department and a one-time TimesLedger political columnist, appealed the decision, issued in November in Manhattan Supreme Court. He and his lawyer now have until September to submit a brief to the appellate division outlining their case.”There's answers for all these things,” he said during a phone interview Tuesday. Even as Lewis and his lawyer are working on their brief, they continue to seek a Campaign Finance Board hearing, which Lewis said he is due. The board disagrees.”We've already received a judgment,” a spokeswoman for the Campaign Finance Board said, adding that a hearing would only lead to Lewis rehashing arguments already made in court.Lewis failed to pay back $19,226 in matching funds after losing his Council bid in 2001 against James Sanders Jr. (D-Laurelton) and could not provide proper documentation for his expenses when he was audited, the spokeswoman said. He was fined $356, but when he did not pay the penalty, the board filed suit in State Supreme Court in Manhattan, the spokeswoman said. The board asked the judge for a $10,000 additional fine, but Lewis was slapped with a $4,000 penalty instead, bringing the total judgment, including the board's court fees, to $26,112. While Lewis appealed the decision, the board filed a lien in Queens County Feb. 1, a penalty the spokeswoman said is rarely invoked.”We anticipate payment or discussion of a payment plan,” she said.Lewis said the $19,000 in question largely stems from the fact that the board sent him matching funds only a few days before the 2001 election. Due to the delay, Lewis said he was forced to pay for mailings himself, then later ran into trouble when he provided a receipt to the board seeking to be reimbursed and was turned down.The board also claimed the former candidate improperly used matching funds to pay the rent for his campaign headquarters, Lewis said, but he pointed out that he had used a mobile trailer for his office during the race in order to move between the Rockaways and southeast Queens. Lewis also said he was initially told he owed $144, but the figure quickly jumped to $19,000. He offered to negotiate but was refused, he said. Lewis said he did not believe the board was targeting him but characterized the agency as disorganized.”It's just strange,” he said, noting that he was still a proponent of the board's matching funds program. “Let's have a hearing. What do they have to hide?”Reach reporter Michael Morton by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 154.
