Contribution Reports Due Out Tuesday

All state, county, and local candidates for office must file financial disclosures Tuesday. These disclosures could give statewide candidates a boost heading into the fall.

None of the candidates for statewide office are expected to smash fundraising records this quarter, with the economy in a slump and a diverse field of politicians seeking various open seats, including the governorship. Yet, a strong surprise showing in contributions could boost a dark horse candidate into serious contention, while a poor showing by a front runner could cast doubt on their campaign. Also, lesser known candidates could be sunk early if they fail to show their ability to raise money to fund a statewide campaign. According to the State Ethics Commission, which tracks campaign contributions, Republicans have out raised Democrats so far this year by about a 2-1 margin, with the vast majority of the money collected by both parties coming from Fulton County.

Find a handy little map breaking this year's contributions here.

PSC's McDonald Aims For Lesser Fine

Public Service Commissioner Lauren McDonald could face fines of more than $20,000 for campaign ethics violations. But McDonald argues the case should be thrown-out, with only a minimal fine.

The case stems from McDonald’s 2002 campaign for a seat on the Public Service Commission. He lost that race to Angela Speir. McDonald agrees with the state Ethics Commission that during that campaign, he had thousands of dollars of un-reported contributions and expenses.

"Let me make something very clear. I recognize the fact at the time in ’02 that I was late filing those reports. They were all filed, but not timely. And it was a surprise to me that they just surfaced in the middle of a very statewide campaign."

McDonald says he felt assured by ethics officials in 2004 that corrected reports he filed solved the problem.

When asked by an administrative law judge Monday how much he should be fined, McDonald said about $5,000. However, current ethics laws could allow for a much bigger fine than that.

An initial judge’s ruling on a possible fine should come in the next 30 days. The PSC then decides whether to accept or reject that ruling.

McDonald was re-elected to the PSC last year.

State Ethics Commission hands-down record fine

The Georgia Association of Realtors has accepted the largest ethics fine in state history.

The fine of $80,000 was negotiated and signed-off-on by the State Ethics Commission Thursday. It stands as the largest penalty ever given by the Commission.

The Commission’s executive secretary, Rick Thompson, says the levy is the end of an investigation of campaign contributions not reported by the Realtors Association for most of 2006, totaling around $585,000.

Unreported contributions by the Realtors Association included a sum given to a so-called "independent committee" said to be connected to Casey Cagle and his 2006 run for Lieutenant Governor. Cagle’s campaign denies a direct connection to the group.

By state law, groups can set-up independent committees to back a candidate, as long as they don’t coordinate with the candidate.

In all, the State Ethics Commission's business on Thursday included issuing over $180,000 in combined fines to various group. That stands as a record.