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Public commenter says PDC staff 'dismiss' late-filing complaints; calls for commission action
Summary
A public commenter told the PDC that staff routinely resolve late-filing complaints with warning letters after campaigns file post-election reports, urging commissioners to address the practice on the agency's rulemaking agenda.
During public comment at the end of the Oct. 29 brief adjudicative proceeding, a commenter identified by the chair as Connor criticized a de facto PDC staff practice of dismissing complaints once campaigns submit late filings, arguing the practice avoids penalties and undermines commission oversight.
Connor told the commission: "Get the campaign to file the report and then just dismiss the complaint... The only time that late filers actually get sent to hearings is when the respondent is either too lazy to file the reports or too stupid to understand that the staff actually desperately want to be able to dismiss the complaint, but that the complaint legally can't be dismissed until the reports are filed." He urged the commission to take up the staff's use of warning-letter dismissals on its rulemaking agenda. Chair Hayward said he would not answer the policy question at length in the hearing but stated the commission's direction is moving toward requiring filings before the election or formal hearings.
