 A Bemidji City Councilman has been fined $750 for campaign finance violations. Michael Beard was fined $500 for accepting a $2,400 in-kind contribution from a committee and $250 for not having a proper disclaimer listing the name and address of the committee which provided the funding for the Bemidji first YouTube video and website which Beard was included on. The issue boiled down to four individuals who paid $7,200 to Pinnacle Marketing Group to create the Bemidji first website and YouTube video for Mayoral Candidate Jill Venny and City Council Candidates Don Heiningen and Mike Beard. The individuals who made the contributions were Dean Thompson and Mary Ann Thompson who are a husband and wife and Steve Hill and Jill Hill who are also a husband and wife. The financial reports for each candidate listed $600 in-kind contributions from each of the four individuals. The Minnesota Office of Administrative Hearings ruled the Hills and Thompson's acted as a committee and not as individuals. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.