Andrews, PAC coordination was wrong — and unnecessary

One weird habit I have from my eight years in grassroots political organizing is analyzing campaign literature. Whenever I receive a political mailer, I look at the text, the font, the color, and the photos. I also look at the legally required attribution statement to know who sent the literature.

That’s exactly what I did when I received a dubious-looking mailer 10 days before the planned conclusion of the Cedar Rapids mayoral race, which had become unnervingly heated. The mailer had the same theme, same font, and same pictures as several I’d received from the Amara Andrews campaign that week. It even used some of the exact verbiage and citations the Andrews literature had. The only difference was the attribution statement, which said “Paid for by Iowa Voter Info.”

So a dark money group was running ads. OK, then. “Dark money” is defined as money spent to influence elections by groups that, unlike campaigns, are not required to disclose their donors. It’s not unusual for dark money groups to get involved in state and federal elections in support of or opposition to candidates of both the Democrat and Republican parties. I myself volunteer for an organization that is considered a dark money group.

But dark money in a nonpartisan municipal election? That was a bit off-putting. Especially since this group didn’t have a website or any sort of filing with state or federal regulators.

Documents establishing Iowa Voter Info as a political action committee were filed with the Federal Elections Commission on the evening on Oct. 27, 2021. But by then, I’d already turned in my column for that week, written with a simple theme: Dark money should not find its way to local races. In the interest of due diligence, I’d corresponded with Amara Andrews and two campaign associates, confirmed that they knew nothing about Iowa Voter Info, and made sure to mention that in my writing.

That column would undergo some frantic updates before printing that Friday, thanks to a few critical events. The previous day, Thursday, Oct. 28, Andrews’ campaign walked back her earlier comment pleading ignorance to involvement with Iowa Voter Info after campaign finance documents were released that same day showing that the committee paid $9,000 to Iowa Voter Info. Of that $9,000, $7,557.23 was spent on the very mailers that had piqued my curiosity five days earlier.

A few more things happened after my column printed. Andrews campaign chairperson Steve Shriver resigned, writing on Facebook that being named as chair had been intended less as an official role and more as a “formal endorsement.” The return address on the mailer (something I’d failed to look up earlier) was found to be that of the Linn County Democratic Central Committee, adding an element of suspicion to an already-bizarre story. Allegations of improper coordination made their way into a formal complaint filed by an O’Donnell supporter with the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board.

Results of the investigation stemming from that complaint were finally reported last Thursday, May 26. The board found three violations of Iowa Code — that the Andrews campaign made an impermissible transfer of campaign funds to Iowa Voter Info; that the campaign, along with Iowa Voter Info, misled the public on the origin of the campaign mailer; and that the campaign used an inaccurate attribution statement, as it “did not properly disclose that it was paid for by the Andrews committee and only listed the name of an organization that had not yet registered as a PAC.”

After some discussion, the board voted unanimously to issue a formal reprimand and a civil penalty of $200 each to Andrews and Bret Nilles, chair of the Linn County Democrats and registered agent for Iowa Voter Info. Nilles, who absolutely should have known better, had requested that the campaign make the check for the mailers out to Iowa Voter Info and mistakenly left the address unchanged when using a template from the Linn County Democrats for the mailing.

For her part, Andrews has accepted the reprimand with grace, telling The Gazette’s Marissa Payne “If the board deems it appropriate for us to pay a fine, we will do that.” It’s a departure from the somewhat incendiary rhetoric that dominated her news releases in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 2 election. Ironically, the first sensible statement of her campaign was also the last.

Officially, though, there is no “we.” With the dissolution of the Amara Andrews 4 CR committee on Jan. 19, responsibility to pay the $200 civil penalty that would normally be assessed to the campaign now falls directly to Andrews. That’s understandable — as the candidate, Andrews was responsible for her campaign’s every action, including those done on her behalf or those done before she had a chance to sign off.

Nevertheless, political campaigns in large cities with six-figure fundraising operations require a lot of support, and the conclusion of the ethics investigation does nothing to help Cedar Rapidians understand why the Andrews campaign chose the methods they did. Who was giving the advice? Who were the people coaching Amara Andrews on how to raise and spend campaign funds? Who was developing her strategy?

Theoretically, Andrews had surrounded herself with people of a strong professional and political acumen. Ann Brown of Palo served as Andrews’ campaign treasurer and frequently spoke on behalf of the campaign in news releases. She is an attorney with her own firm in Cedar Rapids.

Sarah Halbrook of Cedar Rapids was the campaign manager. Halbrook works in marketing and development at a local nonprofit and has served on various local boards and commissions over the years, including the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. She is also the former spouse of former state legislator and current city council member Tyler Olson. Halbrook served on the Temporary County Redistricting Commission tasked with redrawing the county supervisor districts, first recommended for the role in 2017 by Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker.

Despite his elected position, considered a full-time job paying $119,198 annually, Supervisor Walker has still found time to operate his political consulting firm, Sage Strategies, which launched in March 2021. Disclosures show the Andrews campaign paid the firm a total of $17,290 between April and Dec. 2021 for “campaign consulting.” Walker intends to continue drawing his taxpayer-funded salary until his term expires in Jan. 2023, while also collecting consulting fees from clients such as Liz Bennett, a state representative and candidate in a tight Democratic primary for Iowa State Senate District 39.

Running to effectively succeed Bennett in the Iowa House of Representatives is Sami Scheetz, a Democratic activist and candidate for the new House District 78. Scheetz’s own interests obviously necessitate a basic understanding of campaign finance rules. Yet he was the representative of the Andrews campaign who coordinated with Iowa Voter Info, confirming his involvement to The Gazette in October. On his website, Scheetz lists Bret Nilles in his capacity as chair of the Linn County Democrats among his endorsements.

Considering the wealth of experience and knowledge in the fields of law, campaign finance, and political organizing that many of the Andrews campaign’s closest associates have, the improper coordination between the campaign and the Iowa Voter Info PAC wasn’t just improper. It was wholly and utterly unnecessary.

Regardless of why it happened, the action of the ethics board finally puts the issue to rest, and may it serve as an example to future candidates on the importance of running clean campaigns focused less on rhetoric and more on local issues. As I wrote at the time: I long for the days when municipal elections really were just about potholes and speed cameras.

Comments: 319-398-8266; althea.cole@thegazette.com

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