What was supposed to be a neighborhood celebration of new historic district signage in Forest Park became something considerably different Friday when U.S. Rep. Richard Neal was given a prominent speaking role — and Mayor Domenic Sarno explicitly tied Neal’s reelection and potential return to congressional leadership to future federal funding for Springfield.

The event unveiled new street-sign toppers marking the Forest Park Heights Historic District, a project advanced by the Forest Park Civic Association (FPCA) and completed by Springfield’s Department of Public Works.

The initiative was funded through the neighborhood association’s allocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, through Springfield’s 2022 Neighborhood Council & Community Stabilization Grant program.

Neal’s appearance was announced to organizers and the media only one day before the event via an official Mayoral press release, immediately raising concerns among project contributors.

Who invited Neal was central to the nonprofit’s defense prior to the event. In an email, FPCA co-president Kathy Post wrote, “I assume [Mayor Sarno] decided to invite Congressman Neal because he is supporting Neal.”

But the Internal Revenue Service does not establish a blanket exemption for a 501(c)(3) simply because someone else invited a candidate.

The IRS prohibits 501(c)(3) organizations from intervening in political campaigns. Its guidance says that when a candidate appears in a non-candidate capacity, the organization must ensure that the candidate speaks only in that capacity, that neither the candidate nor an organizational representative mentions the candidacy or election, and that the event maintains a nonpartisan atmosphere.

Friday’s event raises questions about whether those conditions were met.

Sarno introduced Neal by praising his role in bringing $123 million in ARPA funding to Springfield. But then the mayor went further.

“If the House flips, [he’s] Chair of Ways and Means again,” Sarno told the crowd. “You know what that means? The spigot gets turned on for more money to come to the City of Springfield district. Our Congressman, Richie Neal.”

The statement explicitly invoked an electoral outcome, Neal’s potential leadership position, and the prospect of more federal money for Springfield.

Neal then spoke for approximately four minutes. His remarks went beyond the Forest Park signs or his role in the project, recounting his time as Springfield’s mayor, historic-preservation battles during his administration, neighborhood investments, and the Community Reinvestment Act — he recounted a call from President Joe Biden thanking him for his work on the legislation.

“I was on the phone with Jim Kinney, [he] was the reporter [from The Republican] that day, when I took the call from President Biden, thanking me for getting the legislation over the goal line,” Neal said.

Neal’s remarks came four days before the September 1 Democratic primary, in which he faces challenger Jeromie Whalen.

Whalen and independent candidate Nadia Milleron also attended, invited by project contributors after Neal’s participation was announced. Neither received a speaking opportunity.

The IRS says that when a 501(c)(3) organization invites a candidate to speak in a candidate capacity, equal opportunity for candidates seeking the same office is one factor in determining whether the organization has intervened in a political campaign. The IRS also considers the nature of the event and manner in which candidates are presented.

Whether FPCA violated the law is ultimately a fact-specific question — but FPCA leadership was warned about the potential problem before the event.

As a contributor to the signage project, I raised concerns with leadership after learning Neal would attend, pointing to the IRS rules governing candidate appearances. Post acknowledged that she believed Sarno invited Neal because he supports him, calling the situation “awkward and annoying,” but maintained that it did not constitute political intervention because the invitation came from Sarno rather than FPCA.

As a co-host of an event where a current candidate was prominently featured and given a microphone, FPCA had reason to ensure the event remained nonpartisan. I would know, as I serve as president of another Springfield-based nonprofit where Neal spoke in February.

The situation is particularly notable because FPCA was the originating organizer of a recent 1st Congressional District candidate forum, which Neal declined to attend despite organizers’ public efforts to secure his participation. Neal instead chose to wage a media war with the forum’s 44 nonpartisan organizations, calling us “supporters of an opposing campaign.”

Our neighborhood celebration became an opportunity for a sitting Congressman seeking reelection to speak while the mayor told residents that electing him could turn the federal “spigot” back on.

That is not merely a question of who sent the invitation. It is a question of what a 501(c)(3) organization permits its platform to become.

FPCA leadership had that question put directly in front of it before Friday’s event. It had every opportunity to protect the organization — and chose instead to hand Neal a microphone.