By Chuck Day
PonteVedraRecorder.com
Another complaint, at least the fifth from St. Johns County to be lodged during the 2008 primary campaign, has been filed with the Florida Elections Commission.
Ponte Vedra Beach resident Marcy Silkebaken filed the latest complaint on Aug. 18 against a group called Citizens for Voter Education that was organized in June by former county commissioner Craig Maguire and Ponte Vedra resident Doug Worth.
The group did not register as an electioneering communications organization with the Supervisor of Elections office — as required by Florida election law — until August.
In its lone campaign finance filing on Aug. 22, Citizens for Voter Education reported it had raised $13,000 for circulars mailed this month to about 12,000 registered voters opposing the now-defeated charter.
“I have filed the complaint, specifically against the group itself, which was the name shown on the return address of the mailings,” Silkebaken said this week. “I didn’t know who this group was because it wasn’t registered, yet it was spending money in opposition to the home rule charter. It should be following the law and do what should be done.”
Silkebaken, a proponent of the charter proposal, said she has not received a response from the Elections Commission, so she doesn’t know yet whether the commission will investigate the complaint.
A confidentiality clause in the Florida election statutes prevents the commission from commenting until it completes its review process, which can take several months. The Commission is not scheduled to meet again until November.
“Complaints are always treated in a confidential manner, and my office is not involved at all,” said St. Johns County Supervisor of Elections Penny Halyburton,
“I am aware of the complaint, but I have not been formally notified,” Maguire said late Tuesday afternoon. He acknowledged the Hastings-based group erred by not registering in a timely fashion.
“It is entirely my oversight. I did everything by the book, but then failed to turn in the paperwork to Penny,” Maguire said. “... I thought I had filed them. It certainly was not intentional, and we didn’t miss any reporting deadlines.”
Worth said he had been out of the country recently and knew nothing about the complaint “other than I understand one has been filed.”
According to the financial report filed by Citizens for Voter Education, its funding comes from Citizens for Responsible Local Government Inc., which is also based in Hastings. The second group was incorporated June 20, with an effective date of June 17. Maguire and Worth are also listed as its president and vice president.
An Aug. 22 campaign finance report lists Citizens for Responsible Local Government as a fund-raising organization, and that it contributed the $13,000 that Citizens for Voter Education has reported to date; $7,500 on Aug. 8, and $5,500 on Aug. 20.
Citizens for Voter Education has spent $12,826.88 on two mailings, and Maguire said it has commissioned a third mailing since the Aug. 21 reporting period, but the associated costs have yet to be billed.
Neither Maguire nor Worth commented on the reasons for having two organizations.
Four complaints were filed earlier this year by St. Augustine activist Ed Slavin against two candidates for St. Johns County Commission and two former commissioners who lost reelection bids in 2006. Three of those complaints — against commission candidate Randy Brunson and former commissioners Bruce Maguire and Karen Stern — were judged legally sufficient to warrant investigation. Another complaint against Commissioner-elect Mark Miner was found insufficient and dismissed.
In 2004, the Florida Elections Commission fined defeated commissioner Marc Jacalone after finding he had contributed funds from his campaign to other campaigns. Such donations violated state statutes, the commission ruled.
August 30th 2008 - 9:32PM