Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren says an affidavit sworn out by a former supporter is “a joke.”
The mayor spoke on “The Brother Wease Show” this morning, dismissing the affidavit made public yesterday by Albany lobbyist and political advisor Robert Scott Gaddy. Gaddy swore that the mayor ignored advice of an attorney regarding the use of her political action committee. Gaddy released a photo of the sworn statement on Twitter. In it, Gaddy says Mayor Warren disregarded Attorney Robert Shaddock’s advice and “proceeded to operate the PAC in an illegal fashion during 2015.”
Speaking on 95-1FM, Mayor Warren called both the affidavit and Gaddy “a joke.” She said he has no credibility and is trying to sow confusion about her Political Action Committee, which accepts donations alongside her campaign committee.
Warren’s primary election opponents Rachel Barnhart and James Sheppard contended the mayor was paying for campaign expenses from her PAC, which violates state election law.
Warren said today the State Board of Elections has never confirmed this and she called the Affidavit “a fake.”
Rachel Barnhart said by Twitter that a PAC can donate to other campaigns and political committees up to the legal limit, but she contends the mayor used her PAC as a second campaign fund, which is illegal, and made donations from the PAC to Rochester churches, which is also illegal. Barnhart says the Board of Elections has never found fault with Warren’s use of her PAC funds because it’s never investigated them.
Mayor Warren was re-elected on Tuesday with more than 60 percent of the vote.