Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott has agreed to pay the state more than $36,300 to settle allegations that he improperly used campaign funds. The state Office of Campaign and Political Finance said yesterday that McDermott used the funds to benefit his personal business interests and a nonprofit he created. The Boston Globe reported that McDermott spent $31,705 out of his campaign to bolster his “personal business future” in violation of state laws.
As per the agreement released, McDermott will make a "personal payment" of $7,500 and his campaign will pay $28,881 in various installments. The money used was said to have been spent on consultants and software primarily for personal use. McDermott told the Boston Globe, "The reality of modern campaigning is that the tools and platforms most effective in reaching constituents often originate in the business, leadership, or entrepreneurial space," trying to underscore his intent to modernize campaign operations rather than to bolster personal business ventures.
The spending in question also included payments for services related to media relations, campaign software, and training for campaign staff. The Boston Herald detailed allegations that McDermott contracted businesses like Power Professionals and 10X Stages for services that were supposed to be for campaign purposes but were marked as benefiting McDermott or his since-dissolved real estate company, McDermott Strategic Enterprises LLC.
The sheriff defended his actions, claiming his social media accounts served "as a hook to attract conversation" with groups and that he viewed such engagement as an opportunity to gain political supporters. However, McDermott accepted that some expenditures "can reasonably be interpreted as overlapping with professional or personal pursuits," according to the agreement obtained by the Boston Herald. This acknowledgment partly explains his decision to settle along with the state's assertion that such spending, without clear documentation of political use, "creates a presumption that the expenditure was made for personal use."
Both spokespeople for McDermott's office and the Office of Campaign and Political Finance declined to comment on the specifics of the allegations. The settlement does not involve any criminal charges, but the scrutiny it brings highlights the importance of maintaining strict boundaries between campaign finances and personal or business expenditures in the political arena.
