Democrats have filed a complaint with the St. Joseph County election board alleging that some Penn Township political candidates violated several campaign laws by using taxpayer-funded materials during the recent Osceola Music Festival.
Democratic Party Chair Don Westerhausen says that at the Aug. 8 and 9 event, incumbent Republican Penn Township Trustee Doris Portolese rented a booth. But the booth was staffed by on-duty township firefighters, the canopy was branded with the fire department’s name and logo, and fire department handouts were intermingled with campaign materials for Portolese and Republican township board candidates Kent Hizer and Mark Voelker.
Westerhausen asks the board to investigate whether the candidates and firefighters violated a number of state campaign laws. He writes, “My concern is not the presence of on-duty firefighters at the festival. Rather, it is the use of on-duty firefighters and Fire Department property in connection with a booth that the candidates themselves have identified as their campaign booth.”
Westerhausen wants the board to address the complaint at its next meeting on Friday. County Republican chair Jackie Horvath did not reply to our interview request.
