‘LEGAL BUT SHADY’
Council candidate has spent thousands on wife’s marketing firm
City Council candidate Alejandra St. Guillen’s campaign has paid more than $15,000 of the money she’s raised to her own wife’s highly connected political marketing company — a legal act but one critics say funnels political donations into her own household.
Of the $141,201 St. Guillen has raised in her campaign for an at-large city council seat, she has paid $15,655 to Archipelago Strategies Group to run her campaign’s communications operation. That means just over 11% of the money people have donated to her went to her wife’s company, which has worked with several bigname Boston pols.
State campaign finance officials note it’s entirely legal for candidates to hire spouses or companies owed by their spouses.
Beacon Hill Institute chief David Tuerck however called the arrangement “legal but shady.”
“It certainly smacks of self-dealing,” said Tuerck, a Suffolk University professor and government watchdog. “It appears she’s using campaign funds to pad her own household income, and that’s not right.”
St. Guillen’s campaign said she doesn’t receive any proceeds from Archipelago.
Archipelago, which does communications work for St. Guillen, sent the Herald the campaign’s statement after the Herald contacted the campaign for comment.
St. Guillen campaign chief Jessica Bahena was quoted as saying in the statement, “Alejandra has built a diverse team and is proud to work with Archipelago Strategies Group (ASG) for her communications needs. ASG has a stellar track record of electing bold candidates like Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, and the Alejandra for Boston campaign receives services at the same rate, as is allowable by law.”
Archipelago also has done work for campaigns of various big Boston names including Mayor Martin Walsh, City Councilor At-Large Michelle Wu and Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins, as well as Treasurer Deb Goldberg.
St. Guillen, a first-time candidate, is one of 15 candidates vying for four citywide at-large seats. Next Tuesday’s preliminary election will narrow that field to eight.
Walsh and Wu both have endorsed St. Guillen’s council run.
Walsh — who was St. Guillen’s boss when she ran the city’s Office of Immigrant Advancement — paid Archipelago just over $74,000 in 2017 when he was running for re-election. The mayor’s office declined to comment on Wednesday.
Reached by phone on Wednesday, Wu wouldn’t say whether she believes hiring a spouse’s company looks improper, instead complimenting St. Guillen and Archipelago, which she said is a go-to firm around the city for multilingual communications that she used last election cycle.
“I know Alejandra and Josiane well, and I’m really happy to call them friends,” said Wu. “Alejandra is a strong and independent voice and is going to be a strong and independent voice on the council.”