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LEHIGH VALLEY WEATHER

Commissioners want Muller to disclose 2013 campaign information

The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners want to know if Lehigh County Executive Tom Muller followed campaign finance laws in 2013.

At the Sept. 9 meeting, the board passed a motion 6 to 3, led by Commissioner Michael Schware, requesting Muller disclose the political and nonprofit organizations he relied upon for his campaign activities and fundraising.

Also, the motion asks Muller to report all activity and provide reports of the organizations found on the county website, as well as disclose all officers, directors and owners of Citizens Who Care, Muller’s campaign organization.

The motion comes after Schware recently began raising legal and ethical questions regarding Muller’s campaign.

Voting in opposition were Commissioners Geoff Brace, Amanda Holt and David Jones, Sr.

Commissioner Vic Mazziotti agreed with the requests.

“These are legitimate questions that should be raised,” Mazziotti said.

Commissioner Geoff Brace, however, took issue with the motion, calling it a “political attack.”

Commissioner Percy Dougherty said the requests were not motivated by malice, but rather good cause.

“We’re asking for transparency,” Dougherty said. “We’re asking for clarification.”

Jones said it is the county solicitor’s responsibility to make the determination as to what entity should require compliance with campaign finance laws, not the commissioners.

Schware also alleged Citizens Who Care wrongly took donations while representing itself as a nonprofit. He also said the donations accepted were used to pay for non-campaign related activities, such as an inaugural party and pay Muller’s former campaign manager Mike Fleck.

According to the board, a possible investigation into Muller’s campaign would have to be led by the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office and Pennsylvania State Attorney.