After residents received campaign mailers that were not reported in State Senator Mark McKenney’s campaign finance records, the senator amended his to include over $9,000 in campaign advertising.

McKenney is being challenged by former state senator Jeanine Calkin for the District 30 state senate seat. According to non-amended public campaign finance records, McKenney had reported only on food and drink payments, bank fees, a payment to Rhode Island Blood Center and political donations in his expenditures since 2019’s fourth quarter. All of these activities are legal and correctly reported, and cost just shy of $945 overall. However, some residents in McKenney’s district reported receiving campaign advertisements that weren’t accounted for in these records.

Joanne Borodemos, who lives in District 30, said that she did not usually think much about campaign mailers. However, she said a friend, who gave the Warwick Beacon a tip on the records and asked to remain anonymous, told her about the possible campaign finance violation. Borodemos said that the mailers she received had to have cost enough money to require filing.

“I’ve received at least four different mailers from Mr. McKenney’s campaign. Normally I’d save them but I didn’t really need them. A couple of weeks ago I received a letter that included applications for voting by mail, so it was a two-page letter. It was a heavy mailer and it’s kind of funny because that’s something I had to weight because it was so heavy for a letter, and I wondered how much it cost to mail.”

McKenney amended his filing Aug. 25 after the Warwick Beacon contacted. He reported two expenditures, one $5,000 and the other $4,079.38, in advertising paid to Checkmate Consulting Group. Checkmate is located in East Greenwich and specializes in public relations, advertising and printing.

“I made a mistake, and when I make a mistake, I try to fix it.” McKenney said. I’m glad someone caught it. We never had any problems reporting before, but I didn’t think I had to report the advertising cost until I actually got the bill for them.”

According to Richard Thornton, director of campaign finance of the Rhode Island Board of Elections, many candidates have misunderstood how to report campaign expenditures in the past, even those who have been in office for years. As such, those who amend their report to include the cost may not be penalized since it was a misunderstanding. McKenney has no previously reported campaign finance violations.

Grace Truslow, a District 30 resident who has volunteered for Calkin’s campaign, said she worried that a sitting senator did not file this earlier.

“I think its a little disheartening because people put trust in these institutions,” Truslow said. “I think they should know better.”

But McKenney said he is glad someone caught the absence, and says this experience will teach him how to prepare in the future.

“I try to be transparent as possible by putting this in public view,” McKenney said. “The best mistakes you make are the ones you learn from.”

Several weeks ago, the Warwick Beacon reported another local politician violating campaign finance law. City Council President Steve Merolla, who is currently running for the District 31 seat in the State Senate, spent $5,911 in campaign funds to advertise his private law practice in a church bulletin. He has since apologized and says he has reimbursed his account.