Update: Fosselman Discusses Campaign Contributions

Update, 12:30 p.m.: Kensington Mayor Peter C. Fosselman said he didn’t try to hide reimbursements he received from the Town of Kensington in 2008 after attending campaign events on behalf of the town.

Fosselman spoke to Patch Monday following an April 29 Washington Post article that states he was improperly reimbursed for more than $1,000 in contributions he made over a 10-month period to 13 political campaigns. Fosselman said he made the contributions in his capacity as a “public relations ambassador” for the town, the Post reported, but according to both federal and Maryland law, contributions cannot be made to campaigns on behalf of another individual or group.

The article suggests Fosselman made donations to sway county council votes in his favor.

But, he said he attended many fundraising events on behalf of the town of Kensington when he was initially elected because there was no formal economic or marketing staff for the town.

"I was making $8,000 a year," Fosselman stated, adding he attended the events to get Kensington on the map and because in some cases he was a guest speaker.

He publicly disclosed all the information about the reimbursements and stopped receiving them in June 2008, when he was notified it "wasn't good practice."

In addition to the $1,100 for which he was reimbursed from the town, he made separate campaign contributions out of his own pocket. He did not receive reimbursement for those personal contributions.

All the reimbursements were signed by a town staffer and a town councilmember, and Fosselman said he thinks the claims made that he was swaying votes of county council members George L. Leventhal (D-At Large) and Valerie Ervin (D-Eastern County) are "ridiculous."

"I've only done things to help revitalize a town," he said.

Original Post, 5:55 a.m.: For nearly a year, Kensington Mayor Peter C. Fosselman was reimbursed by the Town of Kensington for campaign contributions he made supporting other Democrats in Maryland.

According to The Washington Post, Fosselman made more than $1,000 in campaign contributions over a 10-month period ending in June 2008.

Fosselman told the Post he was serving as Kensington’s “public relations ambassador” when he made the contributions. But according to both federal and Maryland law, contributions cannot be made to campaigns on behalf of another individual or group.

He stopped receving the reimbursements when he was notified by staff that it“being reimbursed for attending political events was probably not considered the best practice,” the Post reported. Fosselman did offer to repay the town, but the town council at the time did not believe it was necessary, according to The Post.

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Fosselman told the Post he was acting as Kensington’s “public relations ambassador” when the contributions were made. He recently announced he will be running for a .

He made 13 contributions, the Post reported, including to Montgomery County Council members George L. Leventhal (D-At Large) and Valerie Ervin (D-Eastern County).

Although some residents believe his contributions may have swayed votes in favor of the Kensington Sector Plan, former town councilwoman Sharon Scott told The Washington Post, she doesn't believe he did anything wrong.

“He has done everything great for the town," Scott told the Post.

To read the full story about Fosselman's contributions, read The Washington Post.

Editor's Note: This article has been corrected. In the update we designated that two staffers sign off on reimbursement check, when in actuality it is a staffer and a councilmember. We regret this error.

This post has been updated.

Do you think Fosselman should pay back the town? Do you believe the contributions swayed votes? Or do you think the contributions were made to help Kensington? Tell us what you think in the comments.