Illinois Valley Times

David Cooke isn't giving up on his battle with Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino so easily.

Cooke, a Streator resident, has filed a motion to reconsider his case with the State Board of Elections, which did not decide whether Mautino incorrectly claimed the amount he spent campaigning while still a state representative, according to the Edgar County Watchdogs.

Cooke contends the board, "... despite being labeled a final order – did not address the complaint’s allegations that the committee made prohibited expenditures by paying for gas and repairs of vehicles not owned or leased by the committee and making expenditures in excess of fair market value under 10 ILCS 5/9-8.10," according to a copy of the filing posted on the ECW's Illinois Leaks website.

Cooke filed his original complaint against Mautino in February 2016, accusing him of not keeping proper records regarding details such as the full name and addresses of everyone who was paid through his campaign committee. The election board's hearing officer found the complaint to be valid.

Subsequently, the board told Mautino's committee to file amended reports that “provide an accurate breakdown between expenditures and repairs at Happy’s (Super Service Station in Spring Valley), and indicate whether the vehicles involved in each itemized expenditure to Happy’s were owned or leased by the committee or privately owned.” 

After not complying with the order, Mautino's committee was fined $5,000. 

Suspicions reportedly surfaced regarding Mautino’s financial habits when he paid almost $12,500 in campaign fund cash to someone named Joe without offering any receipts. Joe had reportedly received money from Mautino's committee from 2009 to 2015. 

The ECW cheered Cooke for continuing his case.

"As we said in this article, 'All the State Board of Election had to do was determine if Illinois Auditor General Frank Mautino reported his state representative campaign expenditures incorrectly,'" the group posted. "Sadly, they failed and it’s clear Cooke’s attorneys saw the same thing we did."