On February 3, Phoenix City Clerk Denise Archibald advised interested parties that “a reasonable cause determination has been made against Tyler Montague, associated with the Public Integrity Alliance,” and a complaint against the political operative is being referred for further action.
Montague is accused of violating A.R.S. 16-925(A). The investigation involves illegal campaign signs attacking then-Town of Gilbert mayoral candidate, Matt Nielsen, on behalf of mayor-elect Brigette Peterson.
A.R.S. 16-925 Advertising and fund-raising disclosure statements. The statute requires the words “paid for by”, followed by the name of the person making the expenditure for the advertisement or fund-raising solicitation.”
As previously reported by the ADI, on November 18, the City of Phoenix notified parties that it would investigate the matter at the request of the Town of Gilbert due to a potential conflict of interest.
“Not only was the illegal activity of Mr. Montague disappointing from the viewpoint of confidence in our elections, but his actions were intended to deceive voters,” said Nielsen. “It’s unlikely he was acting on his own in this regard and it would be a shame for him to have to take all of the resulting penalty if it is the case that others were involved.”
“Gilbert deserves better than what we witnessed in November,” Nielsen told the ADI. “Candidates for any position should be able to run on their own merits without unlawful interference from people like Mr. Montague and his associates.”
“I hope we can gain back the confidence of voters,” concluded Nielsen, “and the handling of this situation by Gilbert Law Department will be indicative of what we can expect.”
The investigation was sparked by report from an area resident on November 2, who claimed that Montague was seen placing multiple illegal political signs around the Gilbert area. The bright-yellow signs declared that Nielsen, would “Defund the Police!!,” and screamed other baseless accusations.
Montague was previously forced to issue an apology for the lack of integrity in an attack ad campaign launched against former Attorney General Tom Horne in 2013. Since then, Montague has earned a reputation for “slinging mud,” and “working with Democrats to elect more liberal candidates,” like Peterson.
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