The Chicago Board of Ethics imposed a $10,500 fine on the campaign of Paul Vallas, who finished second in the mayoral race last year, citing violations of the city’s campaign finance rules.
After a unanimous vote from the city’s ethics board, Vallas for Mayor was fined for going over the limit campaign contributions can be from entities doing business with the city. The board declared Vallas violated campaign contribution limits by accepting $5,000 from an unnamed entity. Chicago has contribution limits for entities with business before the city and certain persons of $1,500 per year to candidates for city office.
The board said Vallas did not respond to its request to refund the $3,500 excess amount, which would have resolved the issue if he responded within 10 days of the notice. Mayor Brandon Johnson’s campaign, which defeated Vallas in April, recently returned contributions totaling more than $50,000 that violated city ethics rules.
In December, the board noted the contributor “provided evidence to the Board that had made a good faith effort to secure a refund of the excess amount of the contribution from the committee … but received no response from the committee.”
Vallas told the Chicago Tribune he had not heard about the $10,500 fine from the ethics board and clarified he donated the excess contribution to charity rather than refunding the donor like the board requested.
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Vallas for Mayor had a fund balance of $62.10 and an outstanding debt of $22,100, Illinois State Board of Elections records show. Court records show Vallas is still trying to recover from his campaign being defrauded by a consultant. In April, the campaign filed a lawsuit against Chimaobi Enyia, who was hired to reach Chicago’s black communities but allegedly did not complete her work, according to Vallas.
Vallas, the former Chicago Public Schools CEO, lost to then-Cook County Commissioner Brandon Johnson in the runoff Chicago mayor election in April. Johnson replaced Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who failed to secure a second term in the Feb. 28 election.
