Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler, his primary election opponent Ozzie Gonzalez and City Council candidate Jack Kerfoot were hit with campaign finance complaints Thursday that claim they violated a voter-approved $500 contribution limit.

Ronald Buel, a member of political action committee Honest Elections Oregon, filed complaints with the Portland City Auditor’s Office claiming that since September, Wheeler accepted 15 donations that exceeded $500 and Gonzalez and Kerfoot each accepted four.

At issue is whether the limits, approved by voters in November 2018, are in effect. A Multnomah County Circuit Court judge ruled in June the $500-per-donor limit is an unconstitutional restriction on free speech and struck down those provisions of the law.

Attorney Jason Kafoury, another Honest Elections Oregon member, said he believes the city campaign finance policy as a whole is still enforceable although Bloch deemed parts of it unconstitutional.

"Our goal is to get the candidates to follow the will of the 87.4 percent of constituents who approved this measure," Kafoury said.

Buehl’s complaint against Wheeler takes particular issue with four in-kind donations from Melvin Mark Brokerage worth $1,278 to $2,210 as well as other individual contributions between $1,000 to $5,000. The Oregonian/OregonLive is a tenant of a Melvin Mark office building.

Buel is asking that all three campaigns be fined and that the city auditor conduct an audit of all contributions of $100 or less received by Wheeler’s campaign.

Last year, Portland voters approved Measure 26-200, which amended the city charter to limit individual or political committee donations to $500 per election cycle in city races, limit campaign spending and require campaigns to disclose advertising funders and as well as impose other restrictions.

Multnomah County voters approved a similar measure in 2016.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Eric Bloch struck down the county rule in 2017 and did the same to parts of the Portland rule in June, saying they violated the Oregon Constitution.

The circuit court’s decision on the county measure was appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments regarding the matter in November, Kafoury said. He said a ruling in the case is expected sometime in 2020 and will likely impact the Portland measure.

The city has appealed Bloch’s ruling in the city limits case to the Oregon Supreme Court, which this month said it is putting that appeal on hold until it rules in the Multnomah County case.

Honest Elections Oregon organized both measures.

Buel also filed a similar campaign finance complaint Thursday against Multnomah County Commissioner Lori Stegmann with the county director of elections.

Gonzalez, a TriMet board member, is one of seven opponents who have filed to challenge Wheeler’s re-election campaign. Kerfoot, a retired renewable energy consultant, is one of three challengers opposing Commissioner Chloe Eudaly for her seat on the city council.

Wheeler announced in November that he would limit accepted contributions by individuals to $5,000 and $10,000 from organizations.

“Our campaign is committed to transparency and disclosure, and we are operating within the current law,” said Amy Rathfelder, Wheeler’s campaign director. Gonzalez declined comment, saying he hadn’t yet seen the complaint. Kerfoot did not immediately return messages for comment Thursday.

According to the Portland City Auditor’s Office, after each campaign is notified of the complaint, they have 10 business days to submit any matters supporting or opposing the complaint. The city auditor’s office then has 10 days to investigate and render a ruling.

-- Everton Bailey Jr; ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 | @EvertonBailey

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