'Vallas for Mayor' fined $10,500 for violating campaign finance rules

Paul Vallas' mayoral campaign is being fined for violating the city's campaign finance rules.

"Vallas for Mayor" has been fined $10,500 following a unanimous 4-0 vote by the Chicago Board of Ethics. The decision stems from the determination that an entity engaged in business with the city, subject to the Ordinance's $1,500 limit in political contributions to any candidate for elected city office, made a $5,000 political contribution to "Vallas for Mayor."

The Board said that if the contributor and the committee had "effected a refund of the excess amount" within 10 days of the Board sending them a notice of probable cause, the Board would have dismissed the matter.

At its January 2024 meeting, since the Board did not receive a response from "Vallas for Mayor," the committee was fined three times the amount of the excess contribution. 

Vallas lost to now-Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson in the 2023 runoff election.