Mara, in a 2011 campaign photo.
The District’s Office of Campaign Finance is investigating Patrick Mara with just four days before a special election in which Mara is seeking to win an At-Large seat on the D.C. Council. The investigation stems from fundraising work Mara did in 2009 on behalf of a conservative nonprofit group called D.C. Progress in which he helped the organization tap supporters of his 2008 Council run for fundraising.
The arrangement between Mara and D.C. Progress, which advocates for pro-business policies in the District of Columbia, was reported Monday by The Washington Post. According to the Post, the deal gave Mara, a Republican, a “consulting fee” of up to $2,500—or 10 percent of the fundraising total, if greater—per month. A candidate using campaign resources, including fundraising records, for personal financial gain is a violation of the city’s ethics rules.
Mara, who acknowledged the contract’s veracity, responded to the Post’s story Monday saying he called friends and colleagues on D.C. Progress’ behalf and that he did not use his previous campaign’s finance reports in the process. He also said he made less than $10,000 from the work.
OCF spokesman Wesley Williams says the investigation was launched after the Post’s story. Although the election is four days away, that will not affect the inquiry, he writes in an email.
Though Williams says there was no formal complaint lodged against Mara, OCF did receive a letter earlier this week asking it to investigate Mara over the details in the Post’s article. The note, which was shared with DCist, came from Jen Kern, who works as the national issues campaign director for the Working Families Organization. Mara’s opponents in the special election have made an issue of his opposition to raising the District’s minimum wage of $8.25 per hour, as well as paid sick leave for many restaurant workers.
Mara tells DCist he has not been contacted by OCF. “My campaign has no interest in commenting on last minute smear tactics,” he writes in an email. “We have run a positive campaign. I wish I could say the same for my rivals.”
Correction: This article originally described Jen Kern as the coordinator of a minimum wage campaign. She is the national issues campaign director for the Working Families Organization.
