Barely Out The Starting Gate, David Williams/Richie Farmer Gubernatorial Slate Is Hit With Ethics Complaint.
Complaint alleges illegal early spending by David Williams, Richie Farmer
By Tom Loftus
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A complaint filed Thursday charges that Senate President David Williams and Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer illegally spent money for their 2011 race for governor and lieutenant governor before registering their slate with state campaign finance officials.
The complaint was filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance by Steve Neal, the former executive director of the Jefferson County Teachers’ Association.
“Breaking campaign finance laws before your campaign even gets out of the gate is not a good way to earn the trust of Kentucky voters,” Neal said in a press release. “This is a very serious matter not only because we have a man who wants to lead the commonwealth breaking the law, but also because David Williams helped write these laws and can’t plead ignorance to them.”
Williams, of Burkesville, and Farmer, originally from Clay County, filed a notice of intent to form a slate in the Republican primary — Williams running for governor and Farmer for lieutenant governor — with the registry on Sept. 1.
Neal, a Democrat, was named to the state Board of Education by Gov. Steve Beshear but lost that seat in 2009 when the state Senate did not confirm his appointment.
He charges in the complaint that the slate spent “large sums of money” on at least three items before filing its notice.
“Until such a letter is filed, a slate is prohibited from raising or spending campaign funds and any expenditure is a violation of Kentucky campaign finance law,” Neal’s news release stated.
Neal charged that the slate had clearly spent money before Sept. 1 on a campaign Website that opened Sept. 1, a “professionally filmed, edited and narrated video” posted on the Website Sept. 1 and a statewide poll conducted in July.
Neal said these expenses were significant. Production of a professional video alone “can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars,” he said.
“David Williams is starting out on the wrong foot by trying to pull the wool over Kentuckians’ eyes while he breaks the very laws he writes,” Neal said.
Scott Jennings, spokesman for the Williams-Farmer campaign, had no immediate comment on the complaint.
Emily Dennis, the registry’s general counsel, said in an interview earlier this week she could not comment on any particular situation.
But she said that — in general — the registry’s interpretation of state law governing the issue “is that a notice of intent needs to filed with our office before funds are raised and spent by the slate.”
Such a notice, she said, informs the public of details of the slate receiving and spending money, and also gives registry auditors the starting point for a slate’s activities.
By Tom Loftus
FRANKFORT, Ky. — A complaint filed Thursday charges that Senate President David Williams and Agriculture Commissioner Richie Farmer illegally spent money for their 2011 race for governor and lieutenant governor before registering their slate with state campaign finance officials.
The complaint was filed with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance by Steve Neal, the former executive director of the Jefferson County Teachers’ Association.
“Breaking campaign finance laws before your campaign even gets out of the gate is not a good way to earn the trust of Kentucky voters,” Neal said in a press release. “This is a very serious matter not only because we have a man who wants to lead the commonwealth breaking the law, but also because David Williams helped write these laws and can’t plead ignorance to them.”
Williams, of Burkesville, and Farmer, originally from Clay County, filed a notice of intent to form a slate in the Republican primary — Williams running for governor and Farmer for lieutenant governor — with the registry on Sept. 1.
Neal, a Democrat, was named to the state Board of Education by Gov. Steve Beshear but lost that seat in 2009 when the state Senate did not confirm his appointment.
He charges in the complaint that the slate spent “large sums of money” on at least three items before filing its notice.
“Until such a letter is filed, a slate is prohibited from raising or spending campaign funds and any expenditure is a violation of Kentucky campaign finance law,” Neal’s news release stated.
Neal charged that the slate had clearly spent money before Sept. 1 on a campaign Website that opened Sept. 1, a “professionally filmed, edited and narrated video” posted on the Website Sept. 1 and a statewide poll conducted in July.
Neal said these expenses were significant. Production of a professional video alone “can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars,” he said.
“David Williams is starting out on the wrong foot by trying to pull the wool over Kentuckians’ eyes while he breaks the very laws he writes,” Neal said.
Scott Jennings, spokesman for the Williams-Farmer campaign, had no immediate comment on the complaint.
Emily Dennis, the registry’s general counsel, said in an interview earlier this week she could not comment on any particular situation.
But she said that — in general — the registry’s interpretation of state law governing the issue “is that a notice of intent needs to filed with our office before funds are raised and spent by the slate.”
Such a notice, she said, informs the public of details of the slate receiving and spending money, and also gives registry auditors the starting point for a slate’s activities.
Labels: Democratism, Kentucky politics, Republicanism
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 2:50 PM
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