The Comptroller’s Office issued another decision Monday, finding that Gonzalez violated the city’s campaign finance laws by accepting illegal donations.
PORTLAND, Ore. — Portland City Commissioner and mayoral candidate Rene Gonzalez has been found in violation of campaign finance laws by using city funds to hire an independent contractor to edit his Wikipedia page. This was revealed in an audit. The Portland Comptroller’s Office announced a redetermination of the investigation Monday morning, saying the purpose of the redactions was to enhance the public record that Gonzalez is a Democrat.
On August 16, the Elections Division received a complaint alleging that Gonzalez violated campaign finance laws by accepting illegal donations. The complaint alleges that Gonzalez spent $6,400 in city funds to edit his Wikipedia page in connection with his mayoral bid.
The Comptroller’s Office found that Gonzalez’s office spent $6,400 in city funds on independent contractors to create eight edits to Wikipedia pages filed in June 2024. did. The Board of Audit made its initial decision on September 16, but also noted that it needed “evidence” to find violations that were “insufficient” but that it was a “very close call”. . The Board of Auditors did not receive all the documents it had requested for its investigation.
The Comptroller’s Office reopened the investigation about two weeks later after receiving additional evidence. On Oct. 21, the Comptroller’s Office reissued its decision, finding that Gonzalez violated the city’s campaign finance laws by accepting illegal donations. The donation was made for “the time, money, and services of city employees who researched, developed, drafted, reviewed, and posted edits to Mr. Gonzalez’s Wikipedia page to support his identification as a ‘Democrat.'” The Comptroller’s Office said in a news release.
The comptroller’s office said the comptroller’s role is nonpartisan and that Gonzalez’s Wikipedia edits about his political affiliation are directly related to his campaign, and how the edits relate to city business. He added that he could not explain why. The Comptroller’s Office found extensive evidence that Mr. Gonzalez’s primary campaign strategy was to highlight his Democratic identity.
According to the Board of Audit, Gonzalez also intervened in the investigation.
“These actions include requesting the City’s Independent Auditor to remove the Principal Deputy Auditor from the investigation, and requesting that the City Auditor’s Office remove Mr. Gonzalez’s State Office for further investigation as of September 16, 2024. These include asking the Auditor General to “override” the referral to the Secretary, and making unsubstantiated claims such as: “The investigation was tainted by political bias because his representatives misled the Comptroller General about key evidence,” the Comptroller’s Office said in a news release. The redetermination letter also stated that there was no conflict of interest in the case and reaffirmed the impartiality of the investigation.
The auditor general also said it was the first time in nearly 20 years that the auditor general had attempted to “apply such significant pressure on staff by a person under investigation.”
“We have determined that this matter and the Board of Audit’s misunderstanding of key documents in the investigation are relevant to the context of determining penalties in this matter,” the Board of Audit said.
Gonzalez’s campaign will have to pay a $2,400 civil penalty, which will be deposited into the city’s general fund, according to a letter from the comptroller’s office.
KGW has reached out to Gonzalez for comment.
“Can you trust a referee who owned a home and had a romantic relationship with the opposing team’s head coach? There is a clear conflict of interest at the Comptroller’s Office. I’m sure voters will see this for what it is. Port “It’s a distraction from the important work we need to do to move Rand forward,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
