MTEA Files Ethics Complaint Against Secretive “Recall Collaborative” After Recall Organizers Admit to “Anonymous Donors”

MILWAUKEE – At a press conference held by the MPS School Board “Recall Collaborative” on Wednesday, July 24, recall organizers were asked by members of the media if they are paying canvassers for positions they had advertised and if so, why these expenses and contributions to fund them were not listed on their July 15 campaign finance reports.

Recall organizers responded, and asserted repeatedly, that they have “anonymous donors” paying for canvassers and that they do not know who they are. Wisconsin campaign finance law requires that campaigns disclose the names of donors.

When pressed on the matter, organizers said they are just the petitioners, and that the anonymous donors were a separate part of the “collaborative.” They said they did not know who was funding the canvassers. One speaker, who organizers refused to identify, said the canvassers were working on contracts. MTEA has filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission alleging that if another individual or organization is anonymously funding canvassers, the recall “collaborative” and that anonymous organization are likely engaging in illegal campaign coordination.

MTEA President Ingrid Walker-Henry issued the following statement:

“It is unfathomable that a group of individuals operating a campaign to replace four democratically elected School Board members would so brazenly violate campaign finance law. For a group who claims to be upset by a lack of transparency, running a secretive campaign funded by anonymous donors is the peak of hypocrisy.

“The people of Milwaukee deserve clean, transparent elections so they know who is funding the candidates and initiatives seeking their vote. That’s why we have campaign finance and ethics laws. The Wisconsin Ethics Commission should act swiftly to investigate these likely violations of the law and of the community’s trust.”

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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