Finance report obscures the spending and backers of Harborplace advocacy group
“Baltimore for a New Harborplace” tells the State Board of Elections it has not raised or spent any money on Question F
Above: Ad on the Baltimore Sun homepage promoting a charter change to allow apartments and a parking garage at the city’s Inner Harbor Park.
The persons and groups behind the social media campaign urging voters to approve Question F, which would allow apartment buildings at Baltimore’s Harborplace and Inner Harbor Park, remain unclear despite a state-mandated disclosure report.
Recent ads advocating a “yes” vote on the measure have been described as “sponsored,” “authorized” and “paid for” by Baltimore for a New Harborplace.
Late yesterday that ballot committee filed a legally required finance report with the State Board of Elections, only to say that it has received $0.00 in contributions – and has spent no money – on the campaign.
So how did it manage to buy ads in the Baltimore Banner and Baltimore Sun as well as campaign through robotexts and on Facebook and other social media?
According to the report, by relying on two vendors who spent $100,000 in media buys and research between September 1 and September 24.
The committee says it owes $40,000 to Victoria Research, a Takoma Park polling firm, and $60,704.20 to Fells Group, a digital ad firm in Baltimore.
The committee further reports no money in the bank and being $6.08 in arrears for service fees to M&T Bank.
Baltimore residents have been bombarded by texts and Facebook ads listed as authorized and paid for by Baltimore for a New Harborplace, which reported no income or expenditures in its October 11 report to the State Board of Elections (BELOW).
Connections to MCB Real Estate
On Thursday, Maryland’s Supreme Court reversed a lower court order that deemed Question F unconstitutional, paving the way for the ballot question to go before city voters on November 5.
Approval of the ballot measure would permit MCB Real Estate to construct apartment towers and other commercial structures on the site of the mostly shuttered Harborplace pavilions and adjoining Inner Harbor Park.
Baltimore for a New Harborplace was formed last June by Leland Shelton, MCB’s director of government relations, who was also Mayor Scott’s campaign treasurer until last fall.
The committee’s treasurer, Jonathan Sandoval, is MCB’s development director. Its chairman, Jon M. Laria, was a lobbyist for MCB at City Hall before his retirement as managing partner of Ballard Spahr.
Sandoval and Laria signed the finance report yesterday, which covered the period of June 17 to October 6.
Neither has responded to questions from The Brew about how the committee planned to repay the vendors and whether the names of contributors will be disclosed in the future.
Its next report to the Elections Board is due on October 25.
This ad in The Baltimore Banner says it was “paid for by Baltimore for a New Harborplace, Jonathan Sandoval, treasurer.”