In a consent order reached by the State Board of Elections on Dec. 20, 2020, former Ward 9 Councilman and President of the City Council Steve Merolla acknowledges he inadvertently used almost $6,000 in campaign funds to pay for 12 ads in a church
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In a consent order reached by the State Board of Elections on Dec. 20, 2020, former Ward 9 Councilman and President of the City Council Steve Merolla acknowledges he inadvertently used almost $6,000 in campaign funds to pay for 12 ads in a church bulletin. Under the terms of the order, Merolla agreed to pay a fine of $1,000.
Allegations that Merolla used campaign funds to advertise his law practice surfaced during the heated Democratic primary for the Senate District 31 seat formerly held by Erin Lynch Prata. Lynch Prata said she would not seek reelection when she announced she was a candidate for an upcoming vacancy on the Rhode Island Supreme Court. Merolla, who had served on the council for 22 years, was one of four candidates to seek the Democratic nomination for the seat that was eventually won by Kendra Anderson.
In response to a request from the Board of Elections on Aug. 13, 2020, Merolla produced campaign depository account bank statements, bank deposits and checks and money orders written from his campaign account from July 1, 2016 to July 1, 2020. He acknowledged that payments for the church bulletin ads had been written from his Steve Merolla account, whereas because of a mix up they should have been paid for from his business Steven B. Merolla account. He told the board the mix-up occurred when the invoice for the advertisements came under the name “Steve Merolla.” When the error came to his attention, Merolla immediately reimbursed the campaign account.
In its review the board found that all campaign contributions with the exception of one were received from allowable sources; a total of eight contributions were incorrectly reported; that four cash contributions were received improperly; and that personal expenditures totaling $5,911 (the church ads) were made from the campaign account.
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