An entity called Envision Ogden gave nearly $20,000 to two Ogden City Council candidates in 2007. But amended campaign disclosures, filed in mid-March, reveal that the entity funneled a good chunk of the money through the nonregistered Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate.
That could be in violation of an Ogden ordinance that reads: "No person [or entity] shall make a contribution in the name of another person ... ."
But City Attorney Gary Williams ruled earlier this month that inconsistencies surrounding campaign-fund reporting during that municipal election have been "cured" by amended disclosures he allowed 17 months after the election.
When asked Monday by The Tribune to expand upon or explain his ruling, Williams declined to comment, except to say, "I'm done with this."
Not everyone shares Williams' opinion, including City Councilwoman Amy Wicks. Last week, she questioned whether the Envision Ogden/Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate contributions were within Ogden ordinances. Perhaps, she suggested, the law should be strengthened to prevent future sleights-of-hand.
Representatives of Envision Ogden, which registered with the Lieutenant Governor's Office the year after the election, could not be reached for comment. Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate is not registered anywhere and does not appear in any directory. No one interviewed for this story could name any principals of that organization.
The brouhaha began in March when Ogden resident Dan Shroeder formally complained to the city attorney that Envision Ogden campaign contributions to two City Council candidates appeared to have been "laundered" through a dummy organization.
Both organizations had been named in initial campaign disclosure statements of then-candidates Blain Johnson and Royal Eccles.
The candidates -- shortly after Shroeder filed his complaint -- amended disclosures confirming that the funds attributed to Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate really came from Envision Ogden.
Johnson received $1,500 from Envision Ogden and $10,990 from Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate, according to his 2007 filings. March's amended filings show he received $12,490 from Envision Ogden. Eccles, who lost the election, reported, in his 2007 disclosure, that he received $9,700 from the Northern Utah group; in March, his amended disclosure shows that Envision Ogden gave him the money.
In an interview, now-Councilman Johnson said he had acted ethically and within the law. He explained that he amended his campaign disclosure to make the flap go away.
"I know I didn't do anything wrong," he said. "I received the funds, and I reported it."
Johnson said he believed Friends of Northern Utah Real Estate was a legitimate organization, despite not being able to come up with the names of anyone associated with it.
Johnson prevailed over Sheila Aardema, while Eccles lost to Wicks in the 2007 election.
Said Wicks: "We need to know who a candidate's donors are ... who has an interest in getting that person elected."
