A fire truck displaying "Moorhead Fire Dept." decals and banners endorsing Moorhead City Council candidate Sarah Opitz appears during Moorhead High School's Homecoming Parade. (Minnesota Court of Administrative Hearings)
MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) — A judge says there is no probable cause to believe Moorhead City Council candidate Sarah Opitz violated campaign law when she used a retired Moorhead fire truck in two parades.
The truck carried her campaign banner in Moorhead High and Concordia College’s homecoming parades on October 9 and 10.
The fire department logo was covered up with her campaign signs in later events in Dilworth and Glyndon.
The judge also found Moorhead Firefighters Local Union #1323 did violate campaign law on October 9 but not on October 10.
The union president, Eric Welk, was cleared.
The complaint had been filed by City Council Members Ryan Nelson and Chuck Hendrickson.
Nelson is running against Opitz in Ward 1.
In a new filing on November 2, Moorhead mayor candidate Lisa Borgen is accused of breaking a state campaign law for false claim of support.
It was filed by Will Ferguson, a former candidate for city council and groundskeeper at MSUM.
In a statement Borgen said, in part, “The complaint is frivolous and has no merit. The social media post was taken down within hours after posting when I learned the MSUM image may be copyrighted. I have not paid for any FB ads. This is a distraction and part of an ongoing negative campaign against me.”
The case has been assigned to an administrative law judge for review.
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