Oct. 22—A poll committee which supported the unsuccessful East Cobb cityhood motion within the Might main election has been fined $5,000 by the Georgia Authorities Transparency and Marketing campaign Finance Fee.
The positive was levied after the ethics fee discovered the Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb violated state marketing campaign finance legislation by not submitting a marketing campaign contribution disclosure report 15 days earlier than the election.
In a consent order authorised by the fee final month, the committee agreed to pay the positive and make the required disclosures. Cityhood committee president Craig Chapin signed off on the order.
Earlier than voters overwhelmingly rejected the proposed metropolis, its opponents had charged that the cityhood committee was illegally hiding its monetary backers.
Bob Lax, a cityhood opponent, filed a criticism with the ethics fee in Might.
On the time, cityhood advocates argued the committee’s standing as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit group meant it was not required to file such a disclosure. The ethics fee disagreed.
State legislation requires that teams advocating for or in opposition to a poll query, resembling cityhood, should register as a poll committee with the ethics fee, in the event that they increase or spend greater than $500. Professional- and anti-cityhood teams are additionally required to file a contribution report 15 days earlier than the election. The Committee for Cityhood in East Cobb did not adjust to both of these guidelines, fee employees discovered.
Fee employees reported within the consent order that the cityhood committee cooperated with the investigation.
The cityhood committee instructed the fee that “it beforehand sought recommendation however there was a misunderstanding of the necessities and that it mistakenly thought it was not required to register as a poll committee and report its exercise,” fee employees wrote.
Contributions belatedly revealed
Regardless of 73% of voters rejecting cityhood, the pro-cityhood motion vastly outraised the anti-cityhood group, the contribution report reveals. As of Might 9, it had raised about $112,500 and spent roughly $64,300.
Because the MDJ reported earlier than the election, the anti-cityhood East Cobb Alliance reported elevating somewhat greater than $29,000 as of Might 9. Its single largest donor — giving a mixed $3,867 — was listed as Stephen Sprinkle of Marietta, who recognized himself as retired. All the anti-cityhood group’s further donors gave $500 or much less. The funds had been spent totally on printing prices, but additionally billboard signage and advertisements.
The professional-cityhood motion, nonetheless, obtained a lot bigger donations from people. Its largest backer was actual property developer Owen Brown, proprietor and president of east Cobb-based Retail Planning Company, who gave $20,000.
Non-public investor Jeff Joyce donated $10,000. So did Kevin Nolan, founding father of Nolan Transportation Group, and David Oyler, CEO of Trifecta Capital Administration.
Development government Trey Sanders, of Brasfield & Gorrie, gave $7,500.
Darren DeVore, a personal fairness investor and enterprise capitalist, gave $5,000. So did Christopher Riley, a industrial actual property government with CBRE Group.
Former state Rep. Matt Greenback, who shepherded the cityhood invoice by the Gold Dome, gave $500. Cityhood committee member Sarah Haas gave $2,500.
Many different backers gave comparably smaller sums, resembling donations of $1,000 or $500.
As for the committee’s bills, the lion’s share — almost $34,500 — went to political consultants New Prospect Methods. The committee additionally spent greater than $15,000 on billboard advertisements.
About $4,800 in funds went to committee member Cindy Cooperman, and about $2,600 went to Haas, reimbursing them for companies and bills resembling advertising, web site, e mail and occasions.
