Yoon received, donated to charity $150 from public employee

The reams of information on the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance’s website are sometimes compared to Christmas presents for reporters. If that’s true, then consider this a tiny stocking stuffer found three weeks after New Year’s.

City Councillor At-Large Sam Yoon’s mayoral campaign in April sent 241 emails to addresses of public employees that included a request for campaign contributions, yielding a $150 contribution from a single public employee, according to OCPF. The campaign has since donated the amount to an East Boston charity and anti-violence group, ZUMIX.

In a July 8 letter to Yoon’s campaign committee, OCPF director Michael Sullivan said the agency determined that the solicitation was “inconsistent” with campaign finances laws, which prohibit public employees from being asked to donate at work, including through their work emails.

“While sending these emails to governmental employees at their place of work was inconsistent with campaign finance law, the Committee has cooperated fully in this review and disgorged the $150 raised, by making a donation to a charity in that amount,” Sullivan wrote. “Accordingly, the matter may be closed at this time. We anticipate that our review and guidance will ensure future compliance with the campaign finance law.”

The incident is separate from a similar one reported by the Boston Herald in March, according to the campaign.