Republican Party to pay $15,000 fine?

David Postman announced on the 25th that the Republican Party has agreed to pay a $15,000 fine to the Public Disclosure Commission for not informing candidates that it had done work on their behalf in 2004 and 2006.

According to Postman, there are thirteen Republican candidates that received in-kind contributions they didn't know about.
-
The GOP complaint is scheduled to be heard by the Public Disclosure Commission at today's regularly scheduled meeting.
-
A similar investigation is under way at the PDC for the Realtors Quality of Life PAC.
-
The Realtors are under investigation for allegedly not informing a number of candidates in the state of Washington that it provided in-kind contributions in the form of mailers and other support before the October 15, 2007 deadline. (The 21 day deadline that limits in-kind and other candidate contributions to $5,000 before an election).
-
A handful of candidates, including Sam Crawford and Dan Pike, did not report the in-kind contributions, after allegedly being told by the PDC that the contributions appeared to be independent expenditures rather than in-kind contributions.
-
In what appears to be an act of defiance, the Realtors, (after being contacted by the PDC and openly admitting to the PDC that the contributions in question were in-kind, NOT independent expenditures), mailed several thousand dollars of mailers to voters, knowing full well that the value of the mailers exceeded the 21 day $5,000 limit imposed by state law.
-
What a mess. Our public watch dogs, the Public Disclosure Commission appear to have committed two serious errors: 1) a PDC employee allegedly provided erroneous information to a handful of candidates, who, in turn, do not report in-kind contributions (even after they discover that the contributions are in fact in-kind contributions); and, 2) the PDC did nothing to stop the Realtors from sending out batches of mailers in violation of the state's 21 day $5,000 limit.
-
The result? Washington voters are denied vital information regarding the source and amount of campaign financial contributions to several candidates in Washington.
-
The Realtors complaint is tentatively scheduled to be heard by the PDC Commissioners on September 25, 2008.
-
The rub? Washington's Public Disclosure Law relies on the antiseptic qualities of “sunshine” and several prohibitions to assure citizens of Washington that governmental systems and individuals who operate within it are open and honest.
-
Unreported campaign contributions prevent voters from making informed decisions about the sources of a candidate's contributions and political support - before the election takes place.

In the past, the Public Disclosure Commission has determined that illegal campaign contributions can adversely affect the outcome of an election. A few years ago, a Port of Anacortes Commissioner resigned when he learned that a complaint was about to be filed in Superior Court to remove him from office.

Stay tuned, Latte Republic will provide an in depth report on both hearings, once the PDC has rendered it's decision.