Dominik Lay, the School Committee member embroiled in a two-year legal battle with the City of Lowell, was recently notified by the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) that an analysis of his reports for the period of December 2021 through December 2022 concluded his campaign finance committee did not comply with the State’s campaign finance laws. (Full OCPF letter below)

Among the OCPF findings; the Lay Committee spent outside of the depository bank account during his run for State Representative in 2022, deposit reports were not filed when due, certain expenditures were not clarified, the 2022 Year-End Report was not filed and that cash contributions above what is allowed by law were received at a December 2021 fundraising event.

The ruling informs Lay he must submit all required reports and information, as well as pay a $5,000 penalty for the failure to file the 2022 Year-End Report. It also notes that further instances of nondisclosure may result in referral to the Attorney General’s Office.

As a public record, the letter was placed in the Lay Committee’s public file.

“We have been in contact with OCPF and are working to cooperate and provide the required information,” Lay said when reached for comment.

In other news regarding Lay, InsideLowell learned today that the City of Lowell responded to the Mass Tort Claims Act demand letter stemming from the unsuccessful attempt in 2021 to keep Lay from serving on the School Committee.

Lay’s attorney in the case, Roland Millard, received what he termed “a polite refusal” to make any voluntary settlement to the claims, citing, among other reasons, that the Superior Court and Court of Appeal denied his Motions for fees and costs, in spite of prevailing in every court proceeding. Millard described this as the first step in the legal process that will once again play out in court, this time at the Federal level.

been in contact, working on it. Something we need to clarify