GRAND FORKS, N.D. - A Grand Forks state senator reported campaign contributions from a Canadian businessman during the last election cycle, a disclosure that was mentioned on the House floor Monday during a discussion on ethics.
Lonnie Laffen, R-Grand Forks, reported a $1,945 contribution from Leo Ledohowski in October in the run-up to his re-election bid. Ledohowski is the head of the Winnipeg-based Canad Inns hotel chain, which has a location attached to the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.
Laffen said Tuesday morning that he had checked with the North Dakota Secretary of State's office, which said the contribution would be allowed. Republican Secretary of State Al Jaeger wrote in an email to the Herald Monday afternoon that he's not aware of anything in state law that would prevent a legislator from accepting a foreign contribution.
"It's perfectly legal," Laffen said. "I checked with the North Dakota Secretary of State a long time ago, and there's nothing wrong with accepting donations from any country."
Still, a Federal Election Commission guide states that federal law prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions or donations in connection with a federal, state or local election. Ledohowski's address in the North Dakota Secretary of State campaign contribution database is the Canad Inns headquarters in Winnipeg.
ADVERTISEMENT
"It is our long-standing understanding that the federal laws under the FEC apply to federal candidates and do not apply to in-state non-federal candidates," Jaeger wrote in an email.
Cindy Carswell, vice president of corporate identity and community relations for Canad Inns, said Ledohowski was unavailable for comment Tuesday, but said it's their understanding that the contribution "is quite allowed under the laws." She said Ledohowski is a Canadian citizen.
Ethics commission
The contribution first came to public light during a speech by Rep. Corey Mock, D-Grand Forks, on the House floor Monday. He was attempting to rally support for a resolution that would have let voters decide whether to create in the state's constitution an ethics commission that could examine campaign finance and initiate investigations of legislators and and other statewide elected officials.
"And even one of our colleagues, not in this chamber, received nearly $2,000 in foreign campaign contributions in the last election cycle," Mock said on the House floor. "What are we doing that addresses the perception of ethical misconduct? The fact that we don't have a commission or a committee means that we cannot clear any action that could be perceived as unethical."
The House ultimately voted down the legislation.
While Mock did not name the legislator who received the campaign contribution on the floor, he confirmed in an interview that Laffen was the senator he had in mind.
ADVERTISEMENT
"That's the one that I was aware of," Mock told the Herald.
Ledohowski's contribution was first pointed out by Rob Port of SayAnythingBlog.com in a post about Mock's speech.
Mock added that he didn't mean to suggest that the contribution would be illegal, but predicted the next Legislature may take up laws concerning foreign contributions.
Laffen, who is president and CEO of the Grand Forks-based firm JLG Architects, described Ledohowski as a "friend from work." JLG was the architect on the Grand Forks Canad Inns project, according to archive news stories.
Laffen was first elected to the state Senate in 2010 and was re-elected to represent District 43 with 53 percent of the vote in November.
Laffen is opposed to the ethics commission bill, arguing that it's a statutory issue rather than a constitutional one. He said the allegations about the Canadian contribution also illustrate problems with an ethics commission.
"That would be the problem with an ethics commission, (it) is looking for wrongdoing," Laffen said.
