Rep. Cusack and Braintree Mayoral Aide Fined for Campaign Finance Violation

Rep. Mark Cusack, D-Braintree, and mayoral aide Christopher Griffin have paid fines to the state after that he inappropriately listed Griffin as his campaign treasurer when he was a public employee.

The payment agreements were disclosed in letters from Michael J. Sullivan, director of the Office of Campaign & Political Finance, to Cusack and Griffin that were made public this week. Cusack, through his campaign committee, paid $750, and Griffin paid $200. 

Cusack said in an interview in May that he discovered the mistake while preparing for this year's race and immediately notified the OCPF. State law prohibits a government employee from serving as a campaign treasurer.

Griffin, assistant to Braintree Mayor Joseph Sullivan, was listed as Cusack's treasurer for the reporting periods from Jan. 1, 2010 through Dec. 31, 2011. He was hired by the Town of Braintree in March 2011. During the period when Griffin was listed as treasurer and a town employee, Cusack raised $19,000, according to an analysis done by the Boston Globe.

Cusack said in May that after Griffin was hired by the town he did not serve in any fundraising capacity. The first-term lawmaker also said that he updated his campaign finance filings to reflect the appointment of a new treasurer, John Neelon, a Braintree attorney.

"It was an oversight error," Cusack said.

Sullivan wrote in his letter to Cusack that while there was a violation of the law, Griffin was not attached to the Cusack campaign's bank account and did not directly receive bank statements or make deposits.

"Because your Committee has made the payment to the Commonwealth and appointed a new treasurer that specializes in campaign finance law, this office has determined that further action is not required and considers this matter closed," Sullivan wrote.