From city council to the White House, campaign financing activities should be well-managed because discrepancies can raise suspicions no matter the political office.
While presidential candidates work to win the hearts and minds of a country, some politicians strive to capture the attention of a single city. One politician, however, will have all local eyes on him not as he is running for office, but rather as he prepares for a likely court appearance for a campaign finance related charge. Derrick Lehrke, a former Grove City Council member, recently received a summons and complaint from the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, due to issues with his finance reports.
Finance report discrepancies lead to complaint from state
The complaint alleges that Lehrke filed an amended campaign finance report in relation to his 2012 campaign, which leaves him with a campaign fund balance of approximately $1,300 that was mentioned in one report, but left off the later one, the South Washington County Bulletin reported.
"The complaint alleges that Lehrke filed an amended finance report."
Mandatory filings for local politicians in Minnesota
In Minnesota, anyone running for office within the county, city, township or school district branches of government must file numerous reports to show how they are spending their campaign funds. This is similar to the way that politicians, and even those running for president, must disclose their spending. Individuals running for office must file an initial report up to 14 days after raising their first $750, according to the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. Each year following the year when an initial report is filed, a Jan. 31 financial report must also be filed with the state.
Additional reports must be filed if an individual's name is to appear on any upcoming ballots. A pre-primary report is due 10 days prior to any primary, covering the time between the previously filed report up to five days before when it is due. Then, 10 days ahead of the general election, candidates are required to file another report, this one covering the stretch from the primary until five days ahead of the due date. There are also additional reports required after the election to confirm that the other reports were filed and all debts are paid off.
Lehrke hopes to straighten discrepancy out with board
There are plenty of reports for city council hopefuls to file and, if a discrepancy goes unresolved, individuals can end up in Lehrke's situation. His 2013 year-end finance report disclosed a balance of precisely $1,292, the South Washington County Bulletin explained. However, he followed that filing up with another report – seeking to end his campaign – that indicated a balance of zero, with no additional information as to where the $1,292 was spent.
Goldsmith noted that the board had repeatedly reached out to Lehrke to straighten out the issue with his finance reports, only to receive a single email from the former city council member. Lehrke's email expressed his desire to work with the Board to resolve the discrepancy. "We hopefully will be working with him to do that," Gary Goldsmith, board executive director, told the South Washington County Bulletin.
Ultimately, the board referred the issue to the Minnesota attorney general's office. The state is preparing a possible lawsuit against Lehrke. The board also sought judgment against the former city council member for an unpaid late filing fee as well as a $1,000 fee in relation to the amended report.
This week the board sent the summons and complaint in the initial steps to the lawsuit against Lehrke for his alleged campaign finance violations. Lehrke explained to the South Washington County Bulletin that he hopes to resolve the issue soon. He said that a while ago, after being told of the missing funds, he provided a board staff member with information, but has since learned that wasn't sufficient.
A committee cannot be closed until it has less than $100 and all of its funds have been accounted for, meaning that Lehrke's is open until the case concerning his reports is concluded.
Goldsmith explained that while this sort of case isn't rare, it's not common either, with between four and six cases per year, according to the news outlet. From the bottom up all sorts of politicians have issues with the complexities of campaign finance. Even as presidential candidates handle massive donations, $1,300 can lead to a day in court.