The chief of staff for Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno has been cited by state campaign finance officials over the use of a personal social media account.
Tom Ashe allegedly used his own Facebook account, on three occasions, to promote fundraising activities for unnamed candidates for office which is a violation of state law. That's according to a letter between the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance and Ashe.
It states a complaint was made, and Ashe immediately took down the posts when he was notified of the issue. The letter goes on to say the violation was unintentional and not done during the workday or by using city computers.
“While OCPF did not find evidence of an intentional violation in this instance, we expect the guidance received during the course of this review will ensure future compliance, and no further action is warranted,” the letter states.
According to his biography on the city’s website, Ashe is a former school committee and city council member, who became Sarno’s top aide in 2018.
A request for comment from Ashe through the mayor's office was not responded to. OCPF declined comment, with a spokesperson saying the agency will let the letter to Ashe stand for itself.