The mayor of Romulus, Michigan, defended the use of thousands of dollars in campaign funds to help pay for his daughter’s wedding, calling it twice as much as the campaign.
According to a local report on Friday, Romulus Mayor Leroy Berkrov admitted to using $4,500 of the funds to pay for the open bar at the yacht club wedding. ABC News affiliate WXYZ.
Burcroff’s lawyer Daniel Wholihan told the news media that the wedding was related to the election campaign because many people who attended the wedding had also worked for Burcroff.
Wallyhan added that although using the money for the wedding would cause “bad eyesight”, he did not believe it constituted an improper use of the funds. According to WXYZ, he said that Berkrov had repaid his campaign expenses.
But campaign finance experts believe that Wholihan’s definition of campaign activities is too broad.
“If your own daughter’s wedding can be a campaign event, what kind of event cannot be a campaign event?” Simon D. Schuster, executive director of the Michigan Campaign Finance Network, told WXYZ.
“Elected officials must at least try to explain the shocking range of financial transactions that may be inappropriate,” he added.
This wedding is not the first time Berkrov has been under scrutiny for questionable expenditures.
Earlier this year, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (Jocelyn Benson) reportedly used funds improperly to pay family members, yacht club membership fees, and purchase Jeep Wranglers. survey. In Michigan, it is illegal to use campaign expenses for personal purposes.
Romulus Government
Wuxi First report The mayor made a series of suspicious payments in December, including payments to his children, brothers, and son-in-law in office rent and campaign office maintenance worth more than $6,000.
The news media also disclosed the $3,800 membership fee paid to the Belleville Yacht Club, where his daughter’s wedding was held.
In response to the Secretary of State’s investigation, Wholihan admitted in May that Burcroff had spent US$4,500 on his daughter’s wedding and nearly US$15,000 was donated to the local church in May. According to WXYZ reports, Wholihan stated that the mayor has since returned up to $20,000 to his campaign.
According to the city’s website, Berkrov is a Navy veteran and local business owner, and the father of three children. He “believes in integrity-driven leadership, excellent customer service, safe communities, financial stability, and business ‘Friendly’ city management is an important area for local governments to focus on.”
The mayor, who said earlier this year that he would not seek re-election, is still under investigation by the Secretary of State.
Weekly newspaper Contacted Burcroff for further comments, but did not respond to publication in time.
