NYT writer giving cash to a Democrat?

Note: See updates at bottom of message. There appears to be no wrongdoing at the Times in this case.

From Federal Election Commission 2006 primary campaign contribution records:

Name: Shelly Phillips
Employer: New York Times
Occupation: Writer
Amount: $518
Name of Committee: Lois Murphy for Congress
Date of receipt: 12/28/2005

From the May 2004 New York Times handbook entitled "Ethical Journalism" (p. 19, paragraph 62 of pdf):

Staff members may not themselves give money to, or raise money for, any political candidate or election cause.

From the October 2005 "New York Times Company Journalism Ethics Policy" (paragraph 90):

Staff members may not themselves give money to any political candidate or election cause or raise money for one.

Updates:

• Oddly, googling nytimes.com for "Shelly Phillips" yields no hits. Did Phillips make up the affiliation with the paper?
  
• The reply on the matter from the Times confirms that there does not seem to be a Times writer named Shelly Phillips:

  Friday, February 24, 2006 12:38 PM
  
  Sir:
  
  We have no record of a Times writer named Shelly Phillips, or anything similar, like Sheldon Phillips or Rochelle Phillips.
  
  Best,
  
  Toby Usnik
  Executive Director, Public Relations
  The New York Times Company