City candidates campaign reports checked

While campaign rules can be described as somewhat complicated and strict, some candidates—intentionally or not—are not following all the rules.

In Daleville, three of four mayoral candidates and all six city council candidates have filed paperwork for the top office with the Dale County Probate Office.

Mayoral candidates for Daleville are incumbent Mayor Claudia Wigglesworth, James Paul (Jayme) Stayton, Johnny Buchanan and Shana McVickers. Those running for five at-large city council places include the sitting incumbents—Scott Moore, Alan Souders, Marvin Wise, Kathryne Horace and Robert (Bob) Slagle—and challenger Bobby Hardrick.

Hardrick could potentially unseat any of the five current council members.

All candidates in the Daleville election filed the required “Appointment of Principal Campaign Finance Committee” form within the required five days of qualifying to run, except for mayoral candidate Buchanan. The FCPA, the state’s campaign finance law, is part of the Code of Alabama 1975, and “sets the rules for how and when candidates can raise and spend money. The law also specifies how campaign finance activities are reported,” according to the FCPA “Candidate Filing Guide.”

Ed Packard, director of elections with the Alabama Secretary of State’s Office, said that while not filing the “Appointment of Principal Campaign Finance Committee” form will not keep a candidate off the ballot, if someone files a formal complaint with the district attorney, the state attorney general or the Secretary of State’s office, then it’s possible a criminal investigation for violation of the FCPA could be opened.

State law also requires candidates who have reached a $1,000 threshold for either contributions or expenses to file FCPA financial reports—weekly for the four weeks leading into the municipal election. If the threshold has not been met then the candidate is exempt from filing this report, but may choose to file a “Waiver of Report.” All Daleville council candidates, except for Hardrick, have filed waivers. One of four mayoral candidates—McVickers—has filed waivers while Buchanan has filed no financial paperwork. Wigglesworth and Stayton have filed financial reports itemizing expenses and contributions.

Wigglesworth’s reports show self-contributions of $2,000 while Stayton has reported self-contributions of $4,272.50 plus an in-kind contribution of $157.50 from former city police chief and councilman Jimmy Seaton for a newspaper advertisement.

As of Aug. 8, itemized expenses for Wigglesworth and Stayton include:

Wigglesworth                    Stayton

Qualifying fee	$    50.00	Qualifying fee	Not reported
SignSations/ads	$  313.92	Durden Outdoors/Ad	$2,500.00
Facebook/ad boosts	$    32.26	The Southeast Sun	$   350.00
Office Depot/fliers	$    87.19	Sign Solutions	$1,384.30
Daleville Sun-Courier/ads	$  980.00
Aug. 8 Total Expenses	$1,463.37		$4,234.30
Aug. 8 Campaign Fund Ending Balance	$   536.63		$   157.50

Packard said  all candidates for all position need to be compliant with all required filings and reporting as required by the applicable laws. Intentional violations can be prosecuted, he said.

He noted that contributions from a single source must be itemized if the amount given, singularly or cumulatively, adds to $100 or more. He also stated that all candidates must not report self-contribution income in their name if it was actually given by another.

On the required “Appointment of Principal Campaign Finance Committee” form candidates were to name their political committee members or name themselves as “sole member” of their campaign committee. All candidates that filed the form named themselves as their own campaign committee, and all but Councilman Souders named a “Committee Dissolution Designee.” The form states, “Candidates who choose to be the sole member of their principal campaign committee must choose a designee to dissolve the committee due to the possibility of death or incapacitation of the candidate.” Packard encourages all candidates to comply with this requirement, though there is not penalty for not doing so.

Stayton’s designee is listed as Terri Etheredge. She is the wife of the former mayor of Daleville, Wess Etheredge, and the former executive secretary for the then mayor.

Wigglesworth’s designee is Charles Wigglesworth, her husband.

McVicker’s designee is Francine Alberson.

Since Buchanan did not file the form, it is unknown who his designee is or would be.

Slagle’s designee is Susan Shaw; Moore’s designee is Brandy Moore; Horace’s designee is Diane Flournoy; Wise’s designee is Juanita Wise; and Hardrick’s designee is sitting councilman Wise.

Angelia Filmore, Daleville’s city clerk and appointment election official, said each city candidate for office was provided identical packets of information and forms as a courtesy. She said each candidate checked their packet against a checklist and signed that they had received all.

In the packet was the “Fair Campaign Practices Act Candidate Filing Guide,” candidate filing guidelines, campaign advertising guidelines, the Appointment of Principal Campaign Committee, Forms one through five of the Campaign Finance Report—daily, monthly/weekly, annual, the Waiver of report form, Statement of Dissolution, Filing Statements of Economic Interests-Important Candidate Information, Statement of Economic Interests Instructions, Statement of Economic Interests (pages one through eight), the 2016 Alabama Municipal Elections Calendar, information to purchase voters list from the Secretary of State and a copy of the checklist.