Ooooops.
Usually, the disclaimer problem with campaign mailers is that there is none. But in Palmetto Bay, voters recently got a mail piece from Mayor Karyn Cunningham — who is facing a challenge from former mayor Eugene Flinn — with two disclaimers from two different entities.
At the top of the 9X12 piece it says “paid electioneering communications paid for and approved by Palmetto Bay United,” which is the mayor’s political action committee. But at the bottom of the mailer it says it was paid for by Cunningham’s own campaign account.
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It can’t be both because it is illegal to comingle campaign funds with monies raised by an PAC. They are definitely collaborating. The treasurer of the PAC is an employee of Cunningham’s consultant, Christian Ulvert.
Is this just a case of being sloppy or is it more serious?
Nobody knows who really paid for this positive biographical piece.
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According to the latest campaign reports through the end of August, Palmetto Bay United has collected $5,000 from Freddy Balsera’s AJB Globetec Consulting, $5,000 from Right Future For Florida, which is a PAC controlled by Republican State Rep. Vance Aloupis, who decided not to run for re-election, and $4,000 from the electrical workers union for a total of $14,000. Cunningham’s campaign account has $63,536 in contributions and almost $12,000 in expenses.
Flinn has raised $18,875 but has only been fundraising since July. He has spent almost $6,000.