Scottsdale mayoral candidate Bob Usdane will not be fined after violating Arizona campaign finance laws by not reporting a $35,500 loan he made to his campaign.
Because Usdane quickly fixed the issue when it was brought to his attention, the Phoenix City Attorney’s Office, to whom the case was re ferred last week, chose not to penalize the former state senator.
"You can over-contribute to your campaign. You have a limit. You can contribute above that limit as long as you give notice to the other candidates,’’ said Scottsdale City Attorney Joe Bertoldo, who had referred the case to Phoenix. "Usdane just failed to give his notice in a timely fashion. But, he did do that fairly quickly after it was pointed out."
Usdane loaned his campaign money without notifying his rivals, incumbent Mayor Mary Manross, City Councilman David Ortega and former Councilwoman Cynthia Lukas.
Manross and Ortega will compete in a May 18 runoff for a four-year mayoral term. Usdane placed third and Lukas fourth in the March 9 general election.
Under state law, a candidate must notify opponents by certified mail within 24 hours after exceeding more than $14,070 in loans to their campaign. The notice gives opponents the chance to accept donations without certain restrictions.
Usdane took the blame for his mistake and said it was not intentional. He had his attorney correct the error with the city clerk’s office and his rivals.
He made his loan Feb. 17, which would have given Manross, Ortega and Lukas nine more days to raise money before filing their reports.
