The Democrat incumbent trying to hang onto the 117th District state House seat is running a campaign ad that is illegal because of where part of it was shot, his Republican opponent claims.
The ad is politically awkward for Benton businessman Dave Severin, who is challenging State Rep. John Bradley (D - Marion), because it includes shots of Marion's Republican Mayor Bob Butler endorsing the Democrat State Representative. However, Severin claims the ad also breaks state campaign laws because parts of it clearly were shot in Marion City Hall, according to a story published by The Southern Illinoisan.
Dave Severin of Benton, Republican challenger for 117th District state House seat
“After he endorsed Governor Pat Quinn in 2014, it's clear Mayor Butler goes with who is currently in power, regardless of principles or record," Severin was quoted in the newspaper's article. "I don't begrudge him for that and look forward to working with him as our next state representative. With that said, it’s unfortunate that City Hall, a taxpayer-funded public building, was used for campaign purposes."
The ad is an example of Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Bradley’s rigged system, where government is used for personal and political gain, Severin said.
The first half of the 30-second advertisement, which is included in the online version of The Southern Illinoisan's story, shows Bradley speaking with constituents. Then, at about 15 seconds into the ad, Mayor Butler is shown seated in Marion City hall, near City Council Chambers, endorsing Bradley.
"He knows our values, he knows our sense of responsibility," Butler says in the ad with the City Hall's reception area clear visible behind him. "John's a Democrat, I'm a Republican, but principle transcends politics."
The time on the clock also visible behind Butler appears to read 1:20 p.m. and City Hall staff at work also are visible in the background.
All that amounts to illegal political activity on government property and government time, a violation of 5 ILCS 430/5-15, Severin said. The Illinois Statute says, in part, "State employees shall not intentionally perform any prohibited political activity during any compensated time (other than vacation, personal, or compensatory time off). State employees shall not intentionally misappropriate any State property or resources by engaging in any prohibited political activity for the benefit of any campaign for elective office or any political organization. that as defined by city ordinance and state statute."
For his part, Bradley demanded that Severin apologize to Butler, the newspaper reported. For his own part, Butler said Bradley didn’t pay a fee for use of the City Hall and he couldn't recall if the ad, shot a couple of weeks ago, was filmed during regular business hours.
Officer hours at Marion City Hall are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., according to the City Hall website, which does not mention what days of the week the government building is open.
Williamson County State’s Attorney Brandon Zanotti told The Southern Illinoisan that he saw nothing wrong with the ad. “Based upon my review of the applicable Marion city ordinances and the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act, I do not believe this action violated any law or rose to any level of wrongdoing,” he said.
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