The District of Columbia’s Office of Campaign Finance (OCF) has fined mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George and her campaign $16,000 for allegedly coordinating improperly with labor unions and an independent expenditure committee supporting her, officials announced Friday. Safe & Affordable DC, an independent expenditure committee largely funded by labor groups, including Unite Here Local 25, was also fined $4,000. The ruling comes four days ahead of the June 16 Democratic primary.

Investigators concluded that coordination had occurred between Lewis George’s campaign and the committee, which has spent about $1 million backing the candidate. Under D.C. campaign finance law, independent expenditure committees may raise and spend unlimited funds on supporting candidates only if they operate independently. Coordination converts such spending into contributions subject to strict limits, which law prohibits in this context.

Central to the OCF's findings was the arrangement through which five union employees, including Lewis George’s campaign manager Adam Yalowitz and spokesperson Amanda Michelle Gomez, were effectively "leased" to the campaign while remaining on union payrolls. The office found that this setup, coupled with a firewall policy intended to prevent coordination, was inadequate. The policy was described as unsigned, undated, lacking training or monitoring, and failing to establish any physical separation between union and campaign staff.

The campaign rejected the allegations, calling the OCF’s order “absurd” and a “last-ditch effort to derail a campaign.” It announced plans to appeal the decision to the D.C. Board of Elections, asserting that the investigation contained factual errors and procedural violations. The campaign also disputed OCF’s claims regarding attempted witness interviews, asserting that named individuals were never contacted.

Safe & Affordable DC chair Jos Williams described the investigation as baseless and criticized the OCF’s inquiry as limited and flawed. He claimed the agency dismissed evidence submitted on the committee’s behalf and contested the presumed coordination, emphasizing the committee's independent status.

The OCF’s investigation also cited the campaign for financial irregularities, noting that some expenses were paid by campaign staff using personal credit cards and later reimbursed, contrary to D.C. regulations requiring expenditures be processed through designated campaign accounts.

The inquiry was prompted in April by a complaint from Kevin Sobkoviak, who alleged the sharing of staff between the campaign and unions linked to the independent expenditure committee. The unions and supporting groups have notably targeted Lewis George’s primary opponent, former D.C. Council member Kenyan R. McDuffie, through advertising campaigns emphasizing his oversight record on utility rate increases.

Fundraising disclosures show that both leading candidates, Lewis George and McDuffie, have raised substantial sums, with significant public matching funds. While candidates who participate in public financing must adhere to strict contribution limits, independent committees can raise and spend unlimited funds, provided they do not coordinate with campaigns.

The financial networks backing the candidates include labor unions, environmental groups, and political action committees. Some funding streams, such as those flowing through nonprofits like the Unite Here Action Fund and an opaque Delaware-registered social welfare nonprofit, complicate tracing donors, raising questions about the role of so-called “dark money” in the race.

Lewis George currently holds a fundraising advantage, with $594,668 raised from District residents and $2.7 million in public matching funds, compared to McDuffie’s $539,335 from residents and $2.4 million matched. Both candidates aim to succeed Mayor Muriel E. Bowser, who is not seeking reelection.

The controversy highlights ongoing challenges in regulating campaign finance and independent expenditures amid complex relationships between candidates, labor groups, and political committees in local elections.