Panel: Campaign violated state law

• By MARSHA SHULER
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Nov 7, 2009 - Page: 10A

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Former state Sen. Walter Boasso’s 2007 gubernatorial campaign committee violated campaign finance law when it failed to accurately report $1.2 million in spending, an ethics adjudicatory panel ruled.

In a decision released Friday, the panel assessed a $230 fine for the violation — far short of the $2,500 maximum that could have been imposed.

In its ruling, the adjudicatory panel said it agreed a violation occurred but found “mitigating circumstances” when it came to the fine, including inconsistent application of the law by Louisiana Board of Ethics.

The Ethics Board is in charge of policing campaign finance law compliance and filed the charges against Boasso and his committee. The panel dropped Boasso from the case, finding that his campaign committee was responsible.

On Friday, Chief Ethics Administrator Kathleen Allen said the board is “pretty consistent when it gets complaints” involving improper filing. She said missing information is not always apparent in looking at the report.

Boasso case attorney Cyrus Greco did not respond to a telephone call seeking comment.

The Boasso case involved the campaign’s failure to timely file campaign finance disclosure reports which itemized each media buy purchase.

Boasso’s committee reported five lump sum media buy expenditures totaling $1.19 million to Philadelphia-based Shorr Johnson Magnus, its media consulting firm. It did not itemize where the money was spent in a July report required to be filed 90 days prior to the primary election.

After a complaint was filed, the Boasso committee filed an amended report two months later detailing expenditures.

The adjudicatory panel listed “mitigating factors” in fine reduction.

“The Board’s enforcement of the reporting requirements has been inconsistent. The Committee did not gain an advantage in failing to disclose the media buys by SJM … Media buys are available for public inspection at television stations,” the panel said. “As soon as the Committee learned of the complaint, it corrected the failure by filing a supplemental report the next day.”

Ethics Board lawyers argued the committee was fully advised of Louisiana’s filing requirements through the acknowledged receipt of instructions on reporting requirements.

Boasso case attorneys said reporting instructions are unclear and the wording differs from that contained in state law. They also said the board’s enforcement of the itemization of expenditures for media buys is inconsistent.