State Elections Commission clears Shapiro

Written by Donald Eng
Thursday, 29 October 2009 14:56

The State Elections Enforcement Commission has cleared Board of Finance member Martin Shapiro of wrongdoing in a complaint filed by Trumbull resident Cindy Penkoff.

Penkoff had filed her complaint after Democratic Town Committee Treasurer Mary Markham submitted her April campaign finance report, which showed Shapiro had purchased $1,250 worth of raffle tickets. Individuals are limited by state election law to $1,000.

In a three-page order, the SEEC found that Markham had inadvertently combined Shapiro’s $1,000 donation with a separate $250 contribution, which is a violation of State Statute 9-608c-1. The statute requires campaign treasurers to record the full names and addresses of each contributor. Markham did not receive any penalty because the SEEC determined the omission was a simple error.