State Republican Senator Tony Hwang is taking steps to remove and replace campaign signs, shirts, advertisements, and other campaign media after the Fairfield Democratic Town Committee, apparently in cooperation with his Democratic opponent Michelle Lapine McCabe’s campaign, complained that he was incorporating logos and branding of two nonprofits that do not lend their names to political causes, including campaigns.

Sen Hwang, whose 28th District encompasses Newtown, admitted to using the “Be Kind” logo associated with the national nonprofit Ben’s Bells that became popular locally following the Sandy Hook tragedy, along with the branding and slogan of the Hate Has No Home Here (HHNHH) initiative.

The seemingly localized brouhaha was brought to The Newtown Bee’s attention in e-mails sent by Andrew Chase Gausepohl, communications director for the McCabe campaign. A press release from the Fairfield DTC about the issue was also dispatched to the newspaper.

A copy of an August 17 e-mail sent to Hate Has No Home Here by Mr Gausepohl attaches photos of lawn signs and references the nonprofit’s branding on them. Organization representative Carmen Rodriguez responded August 20, thanking the McCabe liaison for bringing the issue to their attention, adding that “We have, today, notified Mr Hwang’s campaign via email message that this use falls outside our guidelines and asked the campaign to address it at their earliest opportunity.”

Ben’s Bells Executive Director and founder Jeannette Maré responded to a query from the newspaper about the issue, saying, “We are encouraged when anyone is inspired by the work we do at Ben’s Bells, but we can’t and we don’t participate in political campaigns or endorse any political candidates. We spoke with Senator Hwang last week about this issue. He was completely understanding and agreed to discontinue using our logo on his materials.”

In his official statement and in a separate call from Sen Hwang, he sounded both concerned and contrite, while explaining he was immediately discontinuing and pulling all media containing the nonprofits’ branding.

“I told Jeanette Maré that I would immediately stop and pull everything,” Sen Hwang said.

Sen Hwang said he also received a call from Ms Rodriguez at HHNHH, August 29, expressing regret that the senator’s advocacy for the nonprofit’s mission was becoming embroiled in a political controversy.

“Carmen called and thanked me for the support I have been offering to their cause, and saying how much she appreciated my advocacy,” Sen Hwang said.

In a follow-up e-mail to Sen Hwang, provided to The Newtown Bee, Ms Rodriguez says, “Thanks again for the conversation today and for the kind sentiments you expressed about our project. We’re relieved and pleased to know that our message is being received and shared so widely across our country (and in a few other countries!). Please be assured that we will continue to respond to inquiries about the relationship between our project and your campaign in the positive light we both intend, which is support for the sentiment, and for improved public discourse.”

HHNHH concurrently posted the following statement on its Facebook site: “The Hate Has No Home Here project is a nonpartisan effort that does not endorse any party, campaign, or candidate. Any campaign materials, advertisements, or notices which purport to include the endorsement of the Hate Has No Home Here project are *not* approved by our organization. We thank our project participants for their strict adherence to this policy.

“With that, we offer this gentle reminder: precisely because we forward a universal message, we must be open to those with whom we disagree believing in, supporting, and promoting our message. In fact, that’s the point. We may not all agree on everything, but we do agree there is no place for hate in our public discourse, or in our democratic processes and policies. Please be sure to keep the spirit of the project close to you as you engage with those with whom you differ to ensure the message is not relegated to just words on a sign, but is, instead, incorporated into the every day actions of our neighbors.”

“The key here is, I strongly believe in the public message and personally inspiring values of Ben’s Bells and Hate Has No Home Here,” Sen Hwang said.

Powerful Messages

Sen Hwang said he aspires “to practice and spread the powerful message of being kind, and that hate has no home here.”

“I’ve been an advocate for the past years in promoting and sharing the messages and values of both organizations and will continue to champion those causes into the future,” Sen Hwang continued.

“Unfortunately, it has been brought to my attention that some people have objected to the use of logo images on my campaign material; I have been in contact with both organizations’ leadership. I am truly sorry if it created hardship and unkind attention for those organizations; it was not intentional,” the statement continued. “It was certainly not my intention to misuse their message for my own gain, but rather to use my platform to help spread their message. I simply wanted to share my common values with those organizations. I have respectfully agreed to no longer use their logo in any future campaign material.

“In my positive and affirming exchanges with both organizations, I reiterated my continuous support of their mission and, more importantly, practice of their [inspirational] message. I hope this exchange will raise awareness to visit their websites and inspire, educate, and motivate people to contribute toward being a kinder and more positive difference in our communities.”

In closing, Sen Hwang asked that anyone wanting to learn more about Ben’s Bells visit the nonprofit’s website at bensbells.org. “The mission of Ben’s Bells,” according to its website, “is to inspire, educate, and motivate people to realize the impact of intentional kindness and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby strengthening ourselves, our relationships, and our communities.”

He similarly asked interested readers to visit hatehasnohomehere.org. The Hate Has No Home Here Project promotes just and inclusive communities by encouraging neighbors to declare their homes, schools, businesses, and places of worship to be safe places where everyone is welcome and valued, according to the organization’s website.

“I believe in these messages, and no Democrat or Republican should own those messages; we all should embrace them,” he said.

Fairfield DTC Release

The Fairfield Democrat’s August 22 release accuses Sen Hwang of committing copyright infringement, and Ms McCabe’s communications rep Mr Gausepohl subsequently contacted The Newtown Bee demanding the Senator’s campaign web ad be pulled because of that apparent infringement.

The Fairfield DTC release goes on to state that, “Because endorsement or support of any political candidate is not permitted by 501(c)(3) organizations, Senator Hwang’s actions could put the tax-exempt status of Ben’s Bells, a 501(c)(3) organization, at risk.”

The release goes on to say that the nonprofit brand use “violation is just the latest in a succession of infractions by Senator Hwang’s campaigns.”

They state that in December of 2017, Sen Hwang’s exploratory campaign was found to be noncompliant with campaign financial disclosure statements and was forced to issue a payment for undocumented expenses.

The DTC release goes on to say this year, Sen Hwang’s re-election campaign was caught placing campaign signs on public property in the town of Fairfield, and most recently, Senator Hwang was ordered by the State Elections Enforcement Commission (SEEC) to pay a $400 civil penalty for violating Connecticut General Statutes related to campaign contribution limit violations in 2016.

Sen Hwang responded, saying a consent decree was issued after a campaign treasurer passed away following a battle with cancer, and during that time, he failed to file mandated campaign finance reports “on a timely basis.”

Steve Sheinberg, chairman of the Fairfield Democratic Town Committee said, “This calls into serious question Senator Hwang’s judgment and his ethics as well. 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from participating in political campaigns, or even indirectly endorsing candidates for public office. Senator Hwang’s use of these logos for his benefit could cause an organization to lose their tax exempt status. That is reckless and irresponsible. Furthermore, it is difficult to comprehend how Senator Hwang thought using these logos in his campaign materials was permitted.”

The release goes on to say that the aforementioned infractions indicate “either negligence or antipathy for the laws of the State of Connecticut.” Mr Sheinberg added, “We believe that use of these logos to imply endorsement of Senator Hwang’s campaign is a violation of State election laws, and as such, we are considering filing a complaint with SEEC.”

Sen Hwang said such statements are reflective of the campaign strategy of his opponent and the Fairfield Democrats. Ms McCabe, through her spokesperson, declined a request for comment on the matter.