Councilmember Todd - Follow DC Election Law!
In every election since CM Todd has joined the Council, including one in which he was not on the ballot, he has violated the city’s election laws.
To that end, we ask CM Todd to commit to the following:
Participate in DC's Fair Elections program to demonstrate his commitment to raising funds from the constituents he serves rather than big money special interests and out of state corporations and PACs. Fair Elections is a program which allows candidates to opt-in to a system of public funding for their campaigns, where the amount of money they receive is based on how many contributions from DC residents they collect. Read more at www.dcfairelections.org
Follow all applicable election laws, including the spirit of those laws. Given his past issues with campaign finance compliance, Councilmember Todd should go above and beyond the bare minimum and commit to run a truly transparent campaign that is a model of ethics and full disclosure.
Commit to complete reporting of all campaign contributions before the 2020 election so that his constituents can check that he has reformed his behavior
Contact Zach Teutsch (zteutsch@gmail.com) or Latifa Lyles (latifa4dc@gmail.com) for media inquiries or if you want to sign on as a community leader or on behalf of an organization.
Read the full letter below and sign on the right to show your support- we especially encourage Ward 4 residents and organizations who have members or volunteers in Ward 4 to sign on:
We, the undersigned residents of Ward 4 and organizations representing Ward 4 residents, call on Councilmember Todd to pledge to obey the District’s campaign laws and, in light of his past actions, adopt campaign reporting practices that go above and beyond those required by law in the 2020 election.
In every election since CM Todd has joined the Council, including one in which he was not on the ballot, he has violated the city’s election laws.
Following the 2015 special election, in which CM Todd secured his seat on the Council, the DC’s Office of Campaign Finance found him guilty of 6 counts of hiding the identities of campaign donors. The campaign accepted more than one hundred thousand dollars that it declined to explain to auditors. He was fined, $5,100. (1)
In 2016, when CM Todd stood for reelection his campaign failed to report addresses for 136 contributors who gave a total of $18,000. More than 1,200 of CM Todd’s 1,400 contributions were missing an employer or contributor address as required by law. The Washington Post found dozens of contributions over the $500 limit totaling more than $12,000. (2)
And, remarkably, in 2018, an election where CM Todd was not on the ballot, he violated the city’s election laws by misusing government resources to support a favored candidate in the special election for State Board of Education. The Office of Campaign Finance fined him $4,000 for this violation. (3)
It appears that CM Todd considers his repeated fines a cost of doing business since he has shown no remorse for his actions. We need a Councilmember we can trust, who upholds high standards of conduct.
To that end, we ask CM Todd to commit to the following:
Participate in DC's Fair Elections program to demonstrate his commitment to raising funds from the constituents he serves rather than big money special interests and out of state corporations and PACs. Fair Elections is a program which allows candidates to opt-in to a system of public funding for their campaigns, where the amount of money they receive is based on how many contributions from DC residents they collect. Read more at www.dcfairelections.org
Follow all applicable election laws, including the spirit of those laws. Given his past issues with campaign finance compliance, Councilmember Todd should go above and beyond the bare minimum and commit to run a truly transparent campaign that is a model of ethics and full disclosure.
Commit to complete reporting of all campaign contributions before the 2020 election so that his constituents can check that he has reformed his behavior.
Sincerely,
Renee Bowser, Commissioner, ANC 4D
Perry Redd, Commissioner, ANC 4B
Zach Teutsch, Former ANC Commissioner, ANC 4C
Janeese Lewis, Add-On Committeewoman, DC State Democratic Committee
Todd Brogan, Ward 4 Committeeman, DC State Democratic Committee
Jeremiah Lowery, Chair, DC for Democracy
Latifa Lyles, At-large Committeewoman, DC State Democratic Committee
Zach Israel, National Committeeman, DC Young Democrats
Franco Aveau, Ward 4 resident, Takoma
Photo credit: Crystal Davis / Flickr
(3) Washington City Paper article (OCF press release: https://ocf.dc.gov/release/ocf-issues-order-complaint-against-councilmember-brandon-todd)
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