The Madison Area Apartment Association improperly helped candidates during the spring city elections, a losing candidate and Progressive Dane said Wednesday.

Noah Fiedler, executive officer of the association, countered that his group violated no laws.

The association, acting through a group called Citizens for Responsible Government, accepted and distributed corporate contributions in violation of state law, unsuccessful City Council candidate Helen Marks Dicks and the left-wing political party, Progressive Dane, have charged.

Dicks, who ran in District 16, filed a formal complaint with the city clerk and district attorney on Tuesday, and Progressive Dane intends to do so soon.

"I was concerned about how much corporate money went into these elections," said Dicks, who lost to Judy Compton by 27 votes. "This doesn't meet the smell test."

"There was illegal money influencing the election," agreed Progressive Dane co-chairman David Austin.

Dane County District Attorney Diane Nicks said her office is studying the allegations, which she considers "serious." Nicks can dismiss the claims, order that mistakes not be repeated or bring a court action.

In July, Nicks ordered the apartment association to pay about $600 for two campaign reporting violations. The new complaints are based on post-election statements filed this summer.

The apartment association served as a conduit that channeled about $10,700 in legal contributions to nine moderate and conservative candidates, Dicks and Austin said.

But the association-sponsored Citizens for Reasonable Government collected donations from corporations and improperly spent about $9,800 on 11th-hour phone and mail campaigns in targeted districts, they charged.

Fiedler said the spending was legal because it was for issues, not specific candidates. "If the district attorney’s office feels otherwise, we’ll talk to them about that," he said.

Dicks, meanwhile, also accused Compton of improperly using a First Weber Group Inc. bulk mailing number during her campaign.

Compton, a real estate agent who got $2,400 of the $7,830 she spent on her campaign from the apartment association, said she thought First Weber had been reimbursed for the mailings.

"If there is something amiss," she added, "I will certainly make it right."