The upcoming re-election bid of City Councilman Devon Reese has taken an unexpected turn as recent allegations suggest he may have crossed ethical boundaries, opening the door to potential campaign finance violations.
Reese, facing a tough re-election battle, is actively campaigning and aggressively collecting funds. However, an alleged in-kind contribution from Waste Management might derail his efforts.
The sanitation giant sent out mailers featuring Reese as the “Vice Mayor of Reno,” accompanied by a quote creating concerns about an in-kind contribution that could exceed legal campaign contribution limits. We even received one at our home.
The most an individual or entity could give Devon Reese would be $5,000. So, if the maximum contribution is $5,000 and this mailer costs over that amount, it could be a campaign finance violation with significant penalties. The mailer may have cost $100,000, $200,000, or more to blanket the county.
If proven true, this could result in severe penalties for Reese. Already facing a few ethics violations, Reese failed to disclose the in-kind contribution on his campaign report posted to Nevada’s Secretary of State’s website.
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