GOSHEN – Two members of the Town of Newburgh Republican Committee have filed complaints with the Orange County Board of Ethics seeking an investigation into County Legislator Stephen Hunter’s reported connections to a voter-education nonprofit and a political services company.
Latwan Banks and Paul Harrington filed complaints raising questions about Hunter’s reported ties to Every Ballot Inc., the nonprofit behind Newburgh Votes, and Kwill.io LLC.
Hunter did not return a message seeking comment for this story.
Banks cited previous reports that Newburgh Votes materials appeared at Democratic headquarters and were distributed with Democratic campaign literature, while Republican candidates reported no outreach from the organization. She questioned whether the nonprofit’s tax-exempt resources were being used to benefit political candidates.
The complaint also cited reporting that Hunter was previously listed as a Kwill co-founder, while Joshua Huckabee is the company’s current owner. The two men, who are partners, jointly own a property listed as the address for Kwill and Every Ballot, according to the complaint.
Banks asked the board to investigate Hunter’s role, potential county disclosure or conflict-of-interest violations, and any coordination involving charitable resources or voter data to benefit candidates. She also asked that potential tax or campaign-finance violations be referred to the appropriate authorities. A former FBI agent has told Mid-Hudson News that Hunter’s ties to Kwill and Every Ballot raise questions about potential campaign-finance and tax-law violations and could gain the attention of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Critics have also said that Hunter and his partner appear to be operating like a political action committee (PAC), an organization that raises and spends money to influence elections, usually by supporting or opposing candidates, political parties, or ballot measures. Hunter has denied involvement in the organizations’ operations.
The Orange County Board of Ethics reviews complaints to determine whether they fall under the county’s Ethics and Disclosure Law and may investigate by reviewing records and gathering a variety of information. The process includes due-process protection during whether it is determined if a violation occurred.
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