An auditor hired by the City of Windsor to look through a candidate in the last municipal election's campaign expenses has found Gabe Maggio "committed a number of apparent contraventions" of the Municipal Elections Act.
The auditor's investigation was launched after a complaint last June by Paul Synnott. Synnott acted as campaign manager for some candidates who also ran in the election.
The complaint to the city's compliance audit committee alleged Maggio failed to list two in-kind donations and accepted a $500 donation from a Michigan resident. The Municipal Elections Act states only donations from Ontario residents, corporations and trade unions are acceptable.
The two in-kind donations were the use of a tent at Bluesfest in 2014, and the use of office space at Maggio Immigration. The auditor says the value of that office space was understated.
The report by William Molson CPA, CA states Maggio did not comply with record keeping and accepted $1,800 in cash contributions in excess of the limit. It says Maggio did not exceed his spending limit.
Now that the auditor's report has found wrongdoing, it'll be up to the committee whether to launch legal proceedings against Maggio.
Only a judge can impose a penalty, which could include barring Maggio from running in the 2018 Municipal Election.
