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Cleveland City Council candidate Rebecca Maurer has filed a complaint with the
Ohio Elections Commission arguing that the Council Leadership Fund (PAC), a fund controlled by City Council president and mayoral candidate Kevin Kelley, has been donating far more than what they're allowed by law to incumbent Anthony Brancatelli's campaign.
Anthony Brancatelli has been the councilman of Ward 12 for over twelve years and this year was no exception when councilman Brancatelli ran for office once again. Maurer and Brancatelli passed the Cleveland primary election with the top two spots for the Ward 12 city council primary. Maurer, an advocate for lead-safe housing, an attorney, and a community member, has been involved in many changes in the city of Cleveland as a resident. Maurer wrote the new legislation for Cleveland Lead Advocates for Safe Housing and came within eighty votes of Brancatelli in the primary election.
Now Brancatelli and Maurer are facing off in the November 2 general election for the Cleveland City Council Ward 12 seat. Ward twelve represents The Slavic Village Community, parts of Old Brooklyn, Brooklyn Center, and Tremont. With only eighty votes putting these candidates apart, they're running a hard-fought campaign.
Ward 12 Candidate Rebecca Maurer has accused the political action committee controlled by Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley of ignoring campaign finance laws in support of Councilman Anthony Brancatelli.
In the complaint filed and mailed this past Friday, September 24th of 2021, to the Ohio Elections Commission, Rebecca Maurer shares how the Council Leadership Fund (PAC) has been violating both Ohio campaign finance laws and Cleveland laws that limit campaign contributions.
Maurer’s report mentioned that the literature used Brancatelli’s campaign logo and listed his personal contact information. Maurer’s report also shared that she witnessed Brancatelli bring copies of the PAC literature to an event on August 31 where Brancatelli's volunteers handed them out to voters heading into the polls for the primary election.
Rebecca Maurer said that a letter contained in one of the mailings sent to Ward 12
residents are written in first-person, making residents believe it was written by Brancatelli himself. The letter also ended with Brancatelli’s typed signature.
The literature clearly states it was funded by the Council Leadership Fund but does not appear to include an explicit disclaimer stating they were not authorized by Anthony Brancatelli himself or by his campaign team.
Kevin Kelley declined an interview request from The Inquisitor Magazine, but his campaign spokeswoman emailed the following to a Cleveland.com Reporter: “The standard is that PACs can make contributions to candidates and that they can undertake independent expenditures. Now, it’s up to the Commission to decide if they will review this issue.”
Brancatelli also declined an interview regarding this issue.
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Editor: Jolie Townsend-Moyer
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