Mayor Rybak ordered to pay back thousands in campaign funds
November 07, 2009 18:25 PM
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Fresh out of the gubernatorial campaign gate, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak was punished Friday for using mayoral campaign funds for what state regulators said were activities that furthered the Democrat's 2010 bid for governor.
A gubernatorial campaign fund for Rybak -- who filed paperwork Thursday to move ahead with a 2010 run -- must reimburse his mayoral campaign for $26,500 in expenses and account for other costs. No fines were issued.
A statement issued by Rybak's mayoral campaign said he believes he was "honest and forthcoming" about his consideration of a run for governor.
"Although we disagree with the basis, we will accept the board's finding and take action to account for these expenses and reimburse the mayor's campaign for them," the statement read.
The ruling was in response to a Republican Party complaint against Rybak. The GOP accused him of covertly running for both offices at once and using his mayoral campaign fund improperly. Rybak was elected to a third term as mayor on Tuesday.
Republican Party Chairman Tony Sutton said he hasn't ruled out asking local regulators to investigate Rybak's compliance with municipal standards or filing another complaint with the state.
"This wasn't an inadvertent or technical mistake or an accident," Sutton said. "It was a deliberate attempt to circumvent Minnesota campaign finance laws."
In its ruling, the Minnesota campaign finance board said a survey Rybak commissioned this spring appeared aimed more at a gubernatorial bid than his re-election campaign. The ruling said portions of the survey "have little relevance to running for office in Minneapolis, but would be of great interest to a candidate designing a strategy for governor."
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