STOP rejects campaign allegations

On Friday, a political activist announced his intent to file a complaint with the state accusing the resident group STOP of improperly campaigning in the ongoing City Commission race.

Kate Lowman, a member of STOP’s steering committee, wasn’t fazed when she found out about the allegations.

“It’s laughable,” Lowman said.

The complaint comes from Gabriel Hament, who has previously criticized the development polices for which STOP is advocating. One of STOP’s core issues is opposing the city’s administrative approval process for new development.

In the documents, distributed to the media but not actually filed with the state, Hament suggests STOP is conducting electioneering communications activities, which would require it to make some of its financial information public.

Hament pointed to emails and the STOP website, which shares information on City Commission candidates’ positions regarding STOP’s areas of emphasis, as evidence of the group’s political activity. The statute Hament cites defines electioneering activity as “communication publicly distributed by a television station, radio station, cable television system, satellite system, newspaper, magazine, direct mail or telephone.”

Lowman points out the statute does not refer to electronic communication. She said STOP has spent less than the $5,000 limit the state established before an organization has to report its campaign activity.

Today, STOP issued a statement asking Hament to actually file the complaint or retract the allegations. Lowman believes the complaint was an attempt to attack STOP and the interests for which it advocates during the stretch of a City Commission election.

“I’m expecting we’re going to see a lot more mud slung between now and election day,” Lowman said. “This is the classic time period in which it happens.”

Hament said there are legitimate questions to raise about STOP’s activity leading up to the election, particularly because commission candidate Jen Ahearn-Koch is a member of the group’s steering committee.

Naturally, Ahearn-Koch’s interests align with STOP’s on the group’s core issues. Still, STOP has attempted to maintain the appearance of objectivity during the election, hosting seven of the eight candidates in the race at a forum during the primary.

Hament said he wants to continue pursuing answers regarding the group’s finances, but earlier this week, he said any effort to submit an electioneering complaint was not imminent.

“We are in no rush to file until all facts are gathered and all spending is uncovered,” Hament wrote in an email. “The principle of transparent electioneering transcends this particular commission race. It is about how politics will be conducted within the city for years to come.”