PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A Philadelphia judge has ordered the political action committee and 501(c)(4) known as For a Better Philadelphia to stop spending money on the Democratic mayoral primary, after the Board of Ethics said the PAC and 501(c)(4) is coordinating with candidate Jeff Brown, in violation of the city’s election law.
The Board called for an emergency hearing on Monday to request a cease and desist order against the PAC and 501(c)(4). Board of Ethics Executive Director Shane Creamer requested an injunction, charging that there is “extensive evidence” that Jeff Brown raised money for them.
“By their own emails, Jeff Brown was the best fundraiser for For a Better Philadelphia last year. He helped them raise millions of dollars, and that money is being used to support his candidacy,” Creamer said.
PACs are allowed to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money, but they are strictly forbidden from coordinating with the candidates they support. Creamer says, if it does, it essentially becomes part of the candidate’s campaign, and Philadelphia puts strict limits on contributions to candidates. Hefty contributions to For a Better Philadelphia — such as $1.25 million from Brown’s Super Stores, which Brown used to own — violate those contribution limits.
Nonetheless, Creamer alleges, the PAC and 501(c)(4) has continued to spend money on ads, flyers and mailings for Brown, thus the Board of Ethics request. Judge Joshua Roberts agreed to a two-week injunction on For a Better Philadelphia’s spending, until he could hold a hearing on the request for a permanent injunction.
The attorney for For a Better Philadelphia declined comment afterward but said in court the allegations are not proven and thus may amount to slander. He also suggested the injunction may violate their First Amendment rights.
The Brown campaign released this statement:
“This is a disagreement on campaign finance between the lawyers. The bottom line is that Jeff is fighting for change, a new direction for Philadelphia, and that message is resonating. We have complied with the law and neither we, nor the voters, will be distracted by this nonsense.”
At a mayoral forum Monday evening Brown said he had legal council for everything he did leading up to his campaign, and he and his team believe they did everything properly.
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