By FarmWeekNow/Rick Koshko, WCMY
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois State Board of Elections wants auditor general Frank Mautino to provide more details about the reasons for payments to a bank and a gas station.
The former state representative who’s now the Illinois Auditor General has been criticized for vague campaign expense reporting on hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to Spring Valley City Bank and Happy’s Super Sales and Service.
In a short statement Monday, Mautino’s spokesman said the Spring Valley Democrat will work with his campaign team to amend his campaign finance reports by a July 1 deadline. Board of Elections Director of Campaign Disclosure Tom Newman said the board wants details like whether payments to the gas station were for gasoline or repairs and whose cars they were for. The board also wants specific reasons for the payments to the bank.
Newman said if Mautino doesn’t file updates or he does but the board feels there are still too many questions, it will go to a public hearing. Newman added, the board’s purpose isn’t to decide whether candidates spend their funds appropriately. Rather, it’s to make sure candidates provide sufficient details for the public to judge.
