Photo by michael starghill

You know that elected officials are focusing intently on ethics when they preemptively call for an investigation of their own campaign finances (Vincent Orange did) or announce spending irregularities before a reporter or activist can dig them up.

That’s what Councilmember Michael A. Brown (I-At Large) did today, sending out a press release in which he said that a former staffer had been spending campaign funds without authorization:

“While personally reviewing my campaign finance records on June 22nd, I discovered information which indicated that unauthorized disbursements had been made from the campaign bank account by an individual who has assisted my campaigns for over five years. Upon discovering this disturbing fact, I immediately contacted the Metropolitan Police Department and have since been working in cooperation with the MPD investigation of this matter.”

“As the one who discovered the alleged theft, I have decided to personally take over as the treasurer of my re-election campaign. To demonstrate my commitment to operate the campaign books transparently and ethically, I will bring in an independent auditor to ensure that all campaign finance activities meet the strictest fiduciary standards.”

Brown said that he has taken over as his own campaign treasurer. A campaign spokesperson didn’t respond to inquiries as to how much money was spent; in a recent campaign filing, Brown claimed to have $115,000 in the bank.

Brown is up for re-election in November, and he’s currently facing independents David Grosso and Leon Swain and Republican Mary Brooks Beatty.