One candidate accuses a major player behind the race of improperly listing how much he has spent in his independent expenditure reports.
By Jonathan Friedman/Staff Writer
City Council incumbent candidate Jeff Jennings said he finds it unlikely Malibu Community Action Network activist Ozzie Silna only spent the $10,396 he listed in his independent expenditure reports. According to the documents, Silna spent that amount in his campaign for Walt Keller, John Mazza and Jay Liebig through April 5. Silna was out of the state for Passover this week, and was unavailable for comment.
“With the level of material Ozzie has been sending out, it is almost impossible that he could have spent so little,” Jennings said. “But he may be laundering money through other organizations. I have no way of knowing. Judging from the telephone polls, the mailings, the print ads and the amount of money Liebig, Mazza and Keller have spent, the gap’s got to have been filled by somebody. And it’s a lot more than $10,000.”
Silna has distributed through the mail at least one letter and two brochures in support of his preferred candidates. He also funded a telephone poll, which he told The Malibu Times last month cost between $10,000 and $15,000. In addition, Silna paid for an automated phone message that went out to Malibu residents with a recording from Dick Van Dyke that encouraged people to vote for Mazza, Liebig and Keller. Lastly, Silna had keychains made with a message on them in support of those candidates.
Malibu CAN President Steve Uhring said, with all the commotion that has gone on in this campaign, he doubted Silna would misreport the money he has spent.
“Ozzie is playing the game right,” Uhring said. “He has made sure to do everything to the letter and spirit of the law.”
Uhring said Malibu CAN did not have to turn in a financial statement to the city because it had not made any advertisements or flyers in support of or against specific candidates; rather, he said the organization’s campaign advertisements were about issues. Malibu CAN’s advertisements included information in support of and against certain candidates, but never specifically instructed people who to vote for or against. Uhring said Malibu CAN spent about $17,000 on the campaign, and stressed not all of that money has come from Silna. Uhring said that information would appear in the organization’s semi-annual financial report this summer.
Mayor Ken Kearsley’s campaign collected the most money of all the candidates with $31,681, including a $10,000 loan from Kearsley. The statements cover all money received and spent through March 29. Kearsley also outspent the other candidates at $25,543.
Jennings raised the second highest amount of money with $20,017, and he spent $7,728. Write-in candidate John Mazza raised a total of $10,950. Most of that money, $10,000, came from a loan Mazza made to his campaign.
Political newcomer Pamela Conley Ulich raised $8,748, including a $1,235 loan from herself. She spent $6,240. Former Taxpayers for Livable Communities President Jay Liebig raised the least amount of money as of March 29 with $6,434, including loans totaling $4,434 from his wife, Dianne, and himself. Liebig spent $4,528.