The Boulder City Clerk’s Office found probable cause that mayoral candidate Aquiles La Grave’s campaign failed to properly report two expenses totaling about $280, but found no probable cause to support the remaining allegations in a campaign finance complaint filed by his former campaign manager.
In a Sept. 18 determination provided to Boulder Reporting Lab, the clerk ordered the Aquiles La Grave for Mayor committee to amend its initial campaign finance filing to account for a Kiln meeting room and Google Workspace subscription charges as candidate contributions or reimbursements, along with the corresponding expenditures. La Grave flagged both expenses in his Sept. 9 response to the complaint, and said he subsequently reported both items in an additional statement to the clerk.
Read: Boulder mayoral candidate Aquiles La Grave faces lawsuit and campaign finance complaint
The determination also directed the committee to amend and correct its “three days after certification” filing. It did not impose a penalty and said further investigation would not disclose an additional violation. The decision is final, and the clerk closed the case.
In a statement responding to the determination, La Grave reiterated his rejection of the broader allegations. “From the beginning, I have rejected these claims in the strongest terms,” he said.
La Grave said the resolution “matters to me and my family, certainly, but more importantly voters deserve to know how serious allegations against a candidate were ultimately resolved.”
The complaint, filed by La Grave’s former campaign manager Sarah Glynn on Sept. 3, alleged that La Grave failed to report over $2,000 in campaign expenditures, including videography and photography services. It also alleged hundreds of dollars in unreported in-kind contributions — donations of goods and services to a campaign rather than direct financial contributions — including the use of rooms at the Highland City Club, where La Grave is a member, and Bars.com, where he works.
The clerk found no probable cause for allegations involving video production by Nora Graven, photography and video work by Felipe Arredondo, events at the Highland City Club, meetings at 1035 Pearl Street, other technology subscriptions or volunteer time. The office also found no probable cause that the campaign accepted contributions exceeding Boulder’s $100 contribution limit.
The determination does not explain the reasoning behind the individual findings.
In a statement to Boulder Reporting Lab, Glynn said she was glad the review was completed and the reporting errors corrected through the proper channels.
“Whether the amount is large or small, accurate reporting matters, and I believe using the proper process was the right way to address those questions,” she said.
A dispute over reporting responsibility
In his response to the City Clerk’s Office, La Grave said that Glynn “was responsible for accurately recording the committee’s expenditures for reporting” during the relevant period.
In an Aug. 9 text reviewed by Boulder Reporting Lab, La Grave identified his wife, Megan La Grave, as the campaign’s treasurer, and said her responsibilities included accounting and campaign finance filings.
An Aug. 5 text reviewed by Boulder Reporting Lab between Glynn and former Boulder City Councilmember Jan Burton, a member of La Grave’s advisory “kitchen cabinet” and the chair of local political group Open Boulder, also suggests Burton understood Megan La Grave to be treasurer.
La Grave has since said that he and his wife discussed giving her that role but that she never performed it.
Greg Ekrem was made campaign treasurer at some point between when Glynn left the campaign on Aug. 19, and the campaign filing deadline of Aug. 27.
The clerk’s determination did not address who was responsible for maintaining or filing the campaign’s financial records. City guidelines state it is important to have someone with an accounting background act as the treasurer of the candidate committee.
A small claims dispute
Glynn filed the campaign finance complaint a few days after filing a small claims lawsuit against La Grave for $7,500 in payment she says she is owed for work she did for the campaign. La Grave said the claim is meritless.
The clerk’s decision does not resolve that separate payment dispute. A trial is scheduled for Dec. 7 in Boulder County Court.
Glynn worked for La Grave’s campaign for about three weeks. A proposed contract, which neither party signed, called for a $10,500 base fee for 12 weeks of work, estimating 120 hours of work. The first $6,000 was to be due to Glynn after the agreement was signed and the campaign established a bank account.
Glynn decided to leave her role with the campaign on Aug. 19, and initially requested $5,400 from La Grave for 60 hours of work, calculating an hourly rate from the original base fee and estimated hours. He refused and later offered $2,625, prorating the proposed $10,500 fee to reflect the three weeks she worked. Glynn refused his offer and took the matter to court.
In his letter to the City Clerk’s Office, La Grave said he believed the campaign finance complaint arose from Glynn’s “personal dispute” and was “part of a broader effort to discredit the campaign.”
Glynn called the characterization “convenient” but “not true,” saying she used proper channels for payment and reporting concerns.
“What was hardest for me in his response to the clerk was seeing the blame shifted onto me instead of the campaign simply owning the mistakes and fixing them,” she said in a statement to Boulder Reporting Lab. “He’s running on accountability and ‘less deflection.’ I think those values have to apply inside the campaign too.”
