Baltimore development firm David S. Brown Enterprises has exceeded campaign donation limits by more than $15,000 this election cycle, the most recent in the company?s long history of election law violations according to a government watchdog.
Officials from the nonpartisan, fair-politics group Common Cause of Maryland submitted spreadsheets to state prosecutor Robert Rohrbaugh Thursday, hoping to convince investigators the firm has exceeded the state?s $10,000 aggregate donation limit by $15,200.
That doesn?t include unreported donations, said the group?s executive director Bobbie Walton, referring to questions surrounding District 11 Delegate Bobby Zirkin?s campaign finance report.
His pre-primary report filed last week included $5,000 for 11 months? rent at a Brown-owned office suite now listed for $3,000 per month.
“The law clearly states that in-kind contributions must be valued at the fair market price and must be acknowledged in campaign finance reports,” Walton said. “If there is not an acknowledgment, that?s against Bobby Zirkin and it?s a violation of the law.”
The Brown company donated $9,300 beyond the state?s limit in the last election cycle, most of which went to Baltimore County leaders, according to Walton?s analysis.
Rohrbaugh said the state has never fined the development and property management firm for election law violations, which can carry a $5,000 penalty.
Attempts to reach company president Howard Brown and its attorney, Lee Sachs, were unsuccessful.
