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Iowa Ethics Board: Increase in city and school board campaigns brings more questionable spending
Staff enforcing campaign integrity report uptick in ‘hostile communications’
Iowa has seen a tenfold increase in the number of school board campaigns since 2015, the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board reported.
With more interest in local politics, comes more “creative” campaign activity — and more threats and harassment of campaign disclosure board staff.
“It represents the increased politicization of the school board and city races,” Zach Goodrich, the board’s executive director and legal counsel said at a meeting of the board Thursday.
As it’s become more popular for city council and school board candidates to run as a slate, there has been a blurring of lines about campaign spending, he said.
“We've seen them sharing expenses for campaign materials,” Goodrich said. “We've seen candidates paying for other candidates' campaign materials and essentially running afoul of the idea your campaign committee is going to be separate from all others in terms of spending and raising money.”
An example of questionable campaign material was a mailer from Cedar Rapids school board candidates Rick David and Barclay Woerner that criticized four other candidates running in the race. The board found Thursday there is probable cause to investigate whether the mailer violated state law by not including a note about who sponsored and paid for the message. Goodrich said his staff also will investigate whether the candidates shared costs and reported that spending correctly.
According to Goodrich, other questionable campaign behavior connected with the Nov. 7 local elections throughout Iowa includes:
- A city council candidate who also is a small-business owner putting a coupon for his business on his campaign sign. “It’s intertwining his campaign with money being spent for his business,” Goodrich said.
- Political action committees trying to avoid a $1,000 spending limit by, instead of buying campaign signs, sending out a template so candidates can print their own. “This represents the PAC paying for the design and the individual paying for the materials and it's just very much a hodgepodge and doesn't immediately work within campaign laws as they exist,” Goodrich said.
- A Florida group advocating on its Facebook page for Iowa candidates without being registered as an advocacy group in Iowa.
The Nov. 7 local and school board elections also spurred an increase in “hostile communications” toward Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board staff, Goodrich said. The nonpartisan board was created to ensure the integrity of political campaigns and the ethical standards of elected officials.
Staff received emails, phone calls and voice mails with insults and threats from callers both liberal and conservative, he said.
“It’s extremely disgusting and unsettling,” Goodrich said. “The staff have remained professional despite being pushed to the limit sometimes.”
Board Chair James Albert said he did not think threats and intimidation should be allowed against state employees trying to enforce the law. He asked Goodrich to invite Capitol Police and others to a meeting in early 2024 to talk about the issue.
“I don’t take this lightly,” he said. “I don't think it goes with the territory, either citizens serving on a board like this or those of you who work for this agency.”
Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com
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