City Sues Rivera For Election Funds. By HEATHER HADDON Council Member Joel Rivera is still in some hot water with the city’s Campaign Finance Board. The agency voted last month to sue Rivera for failure to account for thousands of dollars in public funds used in his 2001 election bid. “We do want to give candidates a reasonable amount of time to account for funds,” said Molly Watkins, a Board spokesperson. “And, unfortunately in this case, that didn’t occur.” The announcement of the suit came as the Board announced penalties against five other candidates for not properly complying with campaign finance laws. But Rivera, who is also the Council’s majority leader, was already warned back in May that he was not in compliance. Jerry Goldfeder, a prominent election lawyer retained by Rivera over the past few months, said that the Council member is doing everything possible to correct the situation. “We’re gathering the documentation that the [Board] is looking for and we’re looking for an early resolution,” Goldfeder said. “We’ve been in contact with them [the Board] and have been providing the necessary documentation.” But Watkins said Rivera has made no effort to contact the Board or fulfill their requirements to date. “We added two additional $10,000 penalties for interest [on the amount owed] and non-responsiveness,” she said. That brings the total sought to nearly $60,000 — or over half the funds provided to Rivera in 2001. While it’s not unusual for candidates to get caught in the web of the Board’s strict system, the amount sought in this case is particularly high, says Watkins. Suing a candidate is also somewhat unusual. “It’s not common,” she said, “but the Board has been more aggressive in recent years to go after unpaid funds.” Since 1998, candidates can receive up to $1,000 from the city per $250 of private contributions. The boost (a substantial increase from when the program began in 1988) has also raised the amount of contributions and expenditures the Board must keep track of — and reclaim if not properly documented. In an interview with the Norwood News back in May, Rivera said that he was “very confident that we will be able to resolve 90 percent of it.” Goldfeder said he was hopeful the case would be resolved soon. In the May interview, Rivera said he thought one factor in his accounting difficulties was the number of elections he underwent in 2001 — a special election to replace his father, Jose Rivera, who became an assemblyman, the canceled Sept. 11 primary, the rescheduled primary and the general election. Rivera represents the 15th Council District, which includes North Fordham and parts of Bedford Park.
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