Panel Clears De Blasio-Tied Nonprofit of Campaign Violations

A New York City agency issued a stinging critique Wednesday of an advocacy group’s fundraising in support of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s agenda but said it did not violate rules on political finance, reports The New York Times.

While clearing the Campaign for One New York and Mr. de Blasio of wrongdoing, the Campaign Finance Board said the organization’s activity “plainly raises serious policy and perception issues” and called on the City Council enact restrictions on giving to nonprofits aligned with specific politicians.

The nonprofit was launched after Mr. de Blasio took office in 2014 and raised more than $4 million to advance his policies in areas such as housing and education. Much of the money came from entities that would be barred from contributing directly to a political campaign, such as companies doing business with City Hall. The group was shuttered in March amid law-enforcement scrutiny of fundraising on the mayor’s behalf.

The board, responding to a complaint about the Campaign for One New York filed earlier this year by good-government group Common Cause New York, also clarified rules governing politicians’ nonprofit allies, stating that if such organizations coordinate with a political campaign in the run-up to an election, their spending will be treated as a donation to the candidate and regulated accordingly.