SAUGUS — Anthony Speziale, the former treasurer of the Moving Saugus Forward Committee, described the committee’s violation of state campaign finance law that resulted in a citation from the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance as “an innocent error.”
The committee was formed to support a ballot question in last year’s election that would have created a Charter Commission in town. The ballot question ultimately failed in the town’s November election, and the committee has since been dissolved.
A story in Thursday’s Item referenced a recent letter from the OCPF, which stated that the committee had violated Massachusetts General Law Chapter 55, Section 6B.
In a statement, Speziale said that the citation was prompted by “a campaign ad supporting a formation of a committee to review the current town charter” that listed candidates for Charter Commission who supported the committee.
“Unbeknown, this was a violation in that the comingling is not allowed. It was an innocent error,” Speziale said. “Once Saugus Moving Forward was notified of the investigation by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, we complied.”
Speziale said that the campaign consultant who had suggested the advertisement apologized and paid the $1,116 fine imposed by the OCPF on the committee.
“The Office of Campaign and Political Finance issued a final report and the matter is closed without further findings,” Speziale said.
