Campaign funds law violations alleged

Friday, September 15, 2006

A liberal-leaning political action committee accused some of its conservative counterparts this week of violating campaign finance laws in their efforts to elect justices to the state Supreme Court.

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In a complaint filed with the state Public Disclosure Commission, which regulates campaign financing, Citizens to Uphold the Constitution claimed that the right-wing PACs violated a prohibition on coordinating political advertisements with candidates.

The complaint said a PAC bankrolled by the Building Industry Association of Washington worked with candidate John Groen in a television advertisement attacking his opponent, Chief Justice Gerry Alexander. The complaint made a similar charge regarding two other PACs and candidate Jeanette Burrage concerning radio attack ads directed at Burrage's opponent, Justice Tom Chambers.

The complaint also said that the Washington branch of a Virginia PAC, Americans Tired of Lawsuit Abuse, underwrote several attack ads against Alexander without disclosing its top five contributors, as required by state law.

That PAC has spent more than $357,000 in an effort to elect Groen, records show.

A similar charge was lodged against the BIAW for listing only its affiliated ChangePAC as the source of money for It's Time for Change PAC, the BIAW affiliate involved in the attack ads.

The complaint also said advertising for Groen and Johnson on an electronic video billboard in Fife does not include the required disclosure of who paid for it,

A separate complaint, filed Wednesday by political blogger Steve Zemke, also said the Virginia PAC failed to comply with disclosure requirements.

BIAW Executive Vice President Tom McCabe said Groen was not involved in the attack ads. Video footage of Groen cited by Citizens to Uphold the Constitution was shot at a candidates forum, and Groen was unaware of its purpose, McCabe said.

A still photo of Groen used in the ad was obtained routinely in April for the association's newsletter, the BIAW said.

McCabe also said the BIAW used It's Time for Change as a conduit to simplify the advertisements -- a tactic announced at the time in a news release and engaged in by the BIAW in past campaigns.

Burrage said she did not know of any illegal connection to PACs attacking Chambers.

The Alexander-Groen and Burrage-Chambers races will be settled in Tuesday's primary.

PDC Executive Director Vicki Rippie said the complaints would be reviewed as soon as possible, but the investigations would not be completed before the primary.

P-I reporter Gregory Roberts can be reached at 206-448-8022 or gregoryroberts@seattlepi.com.

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