Politics on the Hudson

From AP this morning:

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — A western New York elections official is accusing a political action committee’s administrator of violating state election law.

The Erie County Board of Elections’ Republican commissioner, Ralph Mohr, has asked the district attorneys in Erie, Genesee and Niagara counties to look into whether Steve Pigeon tried to hide campaign donations and expenditures made through Citizens for Fiscal Integrity.

Mohr said a two-month Board of Elections investigation that included examining bank records found that the Pigeon-controlled committee did not report $25,000 in contributions, did not disclose $35,000 sent to political candidates and listed a false address for the committee.

Pigeon, a former Erie County Democratic Party chairman, did not answer a telephone call to his home Thursday, nor did he respond to a message that was left on a cell phone believed to be his.

“Many election laws were violated and many criminal charges could be brought,” Mohr told WGRZ-TV.

Among discrepancies, Mohr said, is that the committee failed to report $11,000 given by former Erie County Executive Joel Giambra’s campaign fund.

The committee also listed a $1,000 contribution to the state Senate campaign of Democrat Joe Mesi, when bank records show an additional $2,000 donation, the commissioner said.

Mohr showed a $4,000 check from billionaire B. Thomas Golisano’s Responsible New York political committee to Citizens for Fiscal Integrity, which listed the Mesi campaign on the memo line. By law, Golisano’s committee, which is administered by Pigeon, is not permitted to coordinate activities with a specific candidate.

The allegations came a day after Attorney General Andrew Cuomo publicly endorsed Mesi, and amid allegations by Mesi’s Republican opponent, Michael Ranzenhofer, that Mesi is working hand-in-hand with Pigeon.

Mesi campaign spokeswoman Emma Wolfe called the allegations a “political stunt” and said receiving a contribution does not constitute coordination.

“The Mesi campaign has not coordinated with Responsible New York in any way, shape
or form,” Wolfe said.

A message left at Responsible New York’s Rochester headquarters Thursday evening was not immediately returned.

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