Jessie Sponberg Could Face Fine for Failing to Report Campaign Cash to State

Jessie Sponberg, a rabble-rousing activist who for 20 years made his living selling pot, wants voters to take him seriously as a candidate for Portland mayor.

He's demanded to be included in public debates. He's sought endorsements from newspapers.

He has also raised $2,650 in campaign contributions through the website Rally.org, more than 10 of 14 other candidates.

But state campaign finance records show Sponberg hasn't reported any of those contributions to the Secretary of State as of April 15, and that's a civil violation under Oregon law punishable with a fine up to $265.

Sponberg calls the oversight an honest mistake made by an all-volunteer campaign whose treasurer is in the hospital.

"We're not hiding anything," says Sponberg. "It's not out of willful negligence."

It's certainly not a capital offense, and Sponberg has made no pretense of being a perfect candidate. His chief goal in the May 17 primary has been to prod his more established opponents on issues of social justice such as affordable housing and police accountability, helping pull candidates Ted Wheeler and Jules Bailey to the left.

Sponberg tells WW he will update his filing by Monday. But the state still could fine him for filing late if someone lodges a complaint, says Molly Woon, a spokeswoman for Oregon's Secretary of State.

Sponberg faces another hurdle. The candidate also has promised supporters free T-shirts in return for $20 donations—another no-no under state campaign finance law.

"I didn't know about that one," says Sponberg, who sold pot before Oregon legalized recreational marijuana. "The thing is, I'm not a politician. I make a lot of mistakes, but we're the good guys."

Willamette Week