A City of Windsor committee has decided not to pursue legal action against an unsuccessful candidate in the 2014 municipal election, despite the findings of an auditor's report that found contraventions of the Municipal Elections Act.
Auditor William Molson CPA examined former candidate Gabe Maggio's campaign finances and found issue with two in-kind donations and a $500 donation from a Michigan resident.
Only donations from Ontario residents, corporations and trade unions are acceptable under the Act. Maggio's campaign returned the donation from Emmanuel Shaleta of Shelby Township, and Maggio has said accepting it was a simple mistake saying "we just didn't know."
The donations in question are related to the value of office space used during the campaign and the use of a tent at the 2014 Bluesfest.
The audit report says Maggio did not exceed his campaign spending limit.
Senior manager of communications and customer service, Jason Moore, says the decision by the compliance audit committee does not exonerate Maggio.
Had the committee decided to move ahead with legal proceedings, it would have been up to a judge to decide what penalty Maggio would incur. It's possible he could have been banned from running in the 2018 municipal election.
The complaint last June was filed by Paul Synnott, who acted as campaign manager for other candidates in the election.
