Ethics complaints filed against Siegel, AURA

An ethics complaint has been filed against Mike Siegel, who is running to take the District 7 City Council seat in the Dec. 14 runoff. Adam Haynes also filed an ethics complaint against a major urbanist group that has been campaigning for Siegel. The complaints were first reported Wednesday in The Austin Bulldog. Haynes supports Siegel’s opponent, Gary Bledsoe.

Haynes, who is a member of the city Planning Commission appointed by Mayor Kirk Watson, filed a complaint with the city’s Ethics Review Commission alleging that Siegel reported receiving larger contributions than allowed under city regulations from donors as evidenced by a campaign finance report. The limit is $450, or $900 per couple.

That was true. But a look at the city clerk’s campaign finance records online shows that Siegel corrected his earlier report on Wednesday. He had originally reported a $900 contribution from one woman and another contribution from a man who had the same last name. However, that man was not the woman’s husband. Her husband also contributed but his last name is different. The corrected report shows three contributions and no apparent violation.

Haynes also filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission against AURA for Austin, a nonprofit organization that has been campaigning for Siegel in the runoff including blockwalking and emailing, but has not filed any reports documenting its expenditures. The group supported another District 7 candidate, Adam Powell, in the Nov. 5 election.

In addition, Haynes complains that Siegel has violated city regulations by failing to list AURA for Austin as a contributor to his campaign. “In his latest campaign finance report,” filed on Dec. 6, “AURA for Austin is not listed as a contributing entity as a direct or in-kind contributor,” Haynes wrote. “AURA seems to have directed money, goods, services, or other things of value to Mr. Siegel, a candidate for office. These contributions were offered or given with the intent that they be used in connection with the campaign for elective office and were meant to influence the outcome of an election.”

Haynes concludes that if the Ethics Review Commission “finds that in-kind labor, political advertising, and strategic communications … constitutes a contribution by AURA, Mr. Siegel is not in compliance with (city code).”

AURA has been active in the Siegel runoff campaign and worked to elect successful candidates Watson and Krista Laine in District 6. They also endorsed successful incumbent Council members Chito Vela and Vanessa Fuentes. The group also worked in support of unsuccessful District 10 candidate Ashika Ganguly.

Zachary Jon Scott Faddis, who is listed as president of AURA for Austin, told the Austin Monitor his group was all volunteer and that canvassers were not being paid any money. As for the flyers they are handing out, Faddis said the volunteers are responsible for printing out whatever flyers they are giving to prospective voters. He also confirmed the statement he made to The Austin Bulldog, which was: “All of AURA’s election activities have been undertaken via Austin AURA, the 501c4 organization. The tax exempt status of this organization was temporarily revoked in 2023. We undertook steps to recover that status, which was achieved in February 2024 and retroactive to May 2022. Austin AURA remains in good standing with the IRS.

“Earlier this year, we registered a new 501c3 entity, AURA for Austin; this entity has not engaged in election activity, nor raised any funds, nor engaged in any other official or unofficial activity. The boards of these organizations meet separately and their missions are distinct. The complaint confuses the two organizations.”

It remains to be seen whether the Austin Ethics Review Commission or the Texas Ethics Commission will agree with his assessment.

The Austin Monitor’s work is made possible by donations from the community. Though our reporting covers donors from time to time, we are careful to keep business and editorial efforts separate while maintaining transparency. A complete list of donors is available here, and our code of ethics is explained here.