PACs & Political Parties Owe Tens of Thousands

PACs & Political Parties Owe Tens of Thousands

Nearly three dozen Political Action Committees (PACs) and groups representing political parties owe the state more than $40,000 in campaign finances fines, a GoLocalProv review shows.

The fines are mostly due to a failure to file campaign finances reports on time and while the majority of fines are for under $500, the 32 groups combine to owe a total of $44,333.

Leading the way is a PAC called Youth in Political Action, which has amassed $25,497 in fines. Internet searches turn up very little information about the group, but records show it has at least 18 late filing violations since 2006. There is no record of any elected official actually received campaign contributions from the PAC.

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Six other groups owe the state at least $1,000, including the Rhode Island Black PAC, Foster Democratic Town Committee, Rhode Island House Republican Caucus, East Greenwich Republican Town Committee, DJM PAC and Rhode Island For A Change.

Every time a candidate, PAC or political party is late to file a report, they are charged a flat late fee of $25. Following a written warning letter, charges of $2 per day are assessed.

Board of Elections Cracking Down

While the $44,333 is not an insignificant amount owed, it does pale in comparison to the amount owed by individual candidates. A GoLocalProv report this summer showed 20 politicians owe more than $800,000 in campaign fines.

According to the Board of Elections, at least 225 current and former elected officials and candidates owe over $1 million in delinquent fines, court costs and attorney’s fees. The majority of the delinquent candidates and elected officials come from local governments, with very few serving in the General Assembly and none holding one of the five statewide offices.

Earlier this month, the Board of Elections announced that it had filed a lawsuit against five individuals it claims owes more than $67,000 in fines dating back to October 2003.

The candidates include:

Newport Councilman Stephen Coyne, who owes $5348 for failing to file 11 reports dating back to May 2005;

Providence Councilman Kevin Jackson, who owes $23,276 for failing to file 30 reports going back to October 2004;

Former Central Falls Councilman Ricardo Patino, who owes $10,670 dating back to November, 2005;

State Rep candidate Mark Plympton, who owes $17,636 dating back to October 2008; and

Former Providence Councilman Leon Tejada, who owes $10,671 dating back to October 2004.

“We have repeatedly offered to help them submit reports,” Robert Kando, the Board’s Executive Director said. “Filing suit was a last resort. Hopefully they will get the message. There is still time for them to resolve this. Otherwise, they will end up paying a lot more than just their fines.”

Little Action Against PACs

The lawsuits are part of a larger effort to get elected officials or candidate to pay back their fines. Any revenue generated from the fines goes directly to the state’s general fund.

But while the Board of Elections has attempted to chase individuals and does publish a complete delinquent list on its website, little action has been taken against the PACs. The reason is likely that the groups’ fines rarely exceed a couple of hundred dollars. For example, nine PACs or political parties owe just $25.

But other fines are starting to add up. The Rhode Island Black PAC, for example, still has $1,652 in its account, but the group stopped filing campaign finance reports in 2010. Now the group owes $4,637 to the state. Several prominent elected officials have given at least $250 to the PAC, including House Speaker Gordon Fox, State Senator Harold Metts, Providence City Councilman Kevin Jackson and former City Councilwoman Balbina Young.

Create a Level Playing Field

The civil suit against the five individuals happens to be a rare occurrence and it is unlikely any of the PACs will face similar situations in the near future. In order to reach a level where the Board of Elections decides to take campaign finance fines up in court, individuals have to be tardy with filing reports consistently over the course of several years.

Over the summer, Director of Campaign Finance Richard Thornton said many individuals are allowed to settle once they owe more than $5,000. He said the state isn’t trying to profit off of anyone who forgets to file a campaign finance report.

“We’re not here to make money,” he said. “That’s not our mission. Our mission is to create a level playing field so there is transparency.”

Editor's Note: Kevin Grace of the RI State Troopers Association PAC says his organization has paid its $25 fine.

 

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