Campaign finance reports for some Lynn pols past due

LYNN – Three School Committee members and three city councilors, including Council President Timothy Phelan, failed to file their campaign finance reports at City Hall by the Jan. 20 state deadline.No campaign fund-raising reports were on file Friday at the start of the day from School Committee members Patricia Capano, Donna Coppola and Vincent Spirito.Phelan, along with Councilor-at-large Stephen Duffy and Ward 2 Councilor William Trahant Jr., had no paperwork on file Friday morning. The deadline was Thursday at the close of business.Karen Richard, the Election Office head clerk, said Duffy and Trahant assured her their reports would be delivered to City Hall on Friday before it closed at 12:30 p.m. Trahant followed up, filing a report that showed a year-end election committee balance of $140.Phelan told city election officials he hand-delivered his campaign finance report to City Clerk Mary Audley’s home. However, Audley is on vacation, according to Richard.All reports will be available by Monday, Richard said.The Daily Item obtained copies of campaign finance reports Friday from all other City Council incumbents.Listed in alphabetical order, Councilor-at-large Daniel Cahill reported a year-end balance of $70, with $6,065 in outstanding liabilities.Ward 6 Councilor Peter Capano had a balance of $1,102 in his war chest. Ward 4 Councilor Richard Colucci had a $5,225 balance. Ward 5 Councilor Brendan Crighton’s campaign committee had $5,036 as an ending balance.Councilor-at-large Paul Crowley reported $4,300 as an ending balance, with $9,390 in outstanding liabilities. Ward 3 Darren Cyr’s committee ended the year with $565. The Committee to Elect Ward 7 Councilor Richard Ford had $5,662 left over. Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi had the largest war chest, with $7,192 as a reported balance.Among those School Committee members reporting, Maria Carrasco showed an ending balance of $557 for her campaign committee. School Committee member John Ford ended the year with a $2,873 deficit, while Richard Starbard reported a $967 balance.Coppola said Friday she accidentally missed the deadline. “Oh my God. I recently moved but that’s no excuse,” she said. “It just slipped my mind.” Coppola said the report would be filed today.Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, automatically named School Committee chairman by city charter, filed her campaign finance report online late Wednesday with the state Office of Political Campaign Finance as required by state reform legislation effective Jan. 1. She indicated a balance of $21,051.A list of prominent contributors to Kennedy’s campaign, published Friday by The Item, through oversight omitted two donations of $200 and $50 from Helen Fortucci, head clerk at the Department of Public Works and wife of city Chief Financial Officer Richard Fortucci.The chief financial officer has been suspended with pay by the mayor for allegedly failing to carry out his fiduciary duties. A Feb. 1 public hearing before the City Council has been scheduled at Fortucci’s request to discuss the situation.The list of Kennedy contributors erroneously stated that Comptroller John Pace gave money to the mayor’s campaign. The donation was from former License Commission member John Pace.