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Ladenburg won't face penalty
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Candidate
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| Contributor | Ralphie |
| Last Edited | Ralphie Apr 02, 2005 03:26am |
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| Category | News |
| News Date | Friday, April 1, 2005 09:25:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The state’s campaign finance watchdog on Thursday dismissed complaints that Pierce County Executive John Ladenburg misused public money to promote a proposed tax increase.
But the Public Disclosure Commission’s staff also warned Ladenburg, saying there is evidence he broke state law by targeting thousands of voters with two mailers that failed to fairly and objectively present the facts about a proposed sales tax increase for more public safety services on the November 2003 ballot. The tax measure failed.
If Ladenburg “engages in similar actions in the future, enforcement action will likely be taken,” according to PDC Executive Director Vicki Rippie in a March 24 letter approved by the commission Thursday.
Ladenburg said the PDC’s case was unfair because the agency turned him down when he asked for advice about the mailers.
If the PDC had decided to pursue the case against him, Ladenburg said, “I still don’t think … they would have found we violated the statute.”
In dismissing the complaints, the commission accepted the staff’s view that Ladenburg’s actions occurred when the PDC was unable to enforce the law or advise Ladenburg about the content of the mailers because of a legal matter. That legal matter involved a review by the state Supreme Court of a challenge to the PDC’s interpretation of the law for school districts.
“One of the main issues was that Ladenburg and the county asked for some guidance in terms of their activity,” said PDC spokesman Doug Ellis. “We were under a court order to not provide guidance, so we didn’t.”
The PDC launched an investigation of the complaints against Ladenburg in March 2004, after the state Supreme Court issued a decision allowing the PDC to again enforce the ban on using tax money for campaigning.
Gig Harbor resident Don Veal, one of three citizens who filed complaints against Ladenburg, said the PDC’s action Thursday “stinks.” |
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