Settlement Reached Over Campaign Finance Complaint

Alaska gubernatorial candidate Treg Taylor has reached a settlement with state regulators to resolve a campaign finance disclosure complaint. As part of this agreement, Taylor has agreed to pay a reduced fine and amend his campaign disclosure reports to provide more detail about over $187,000 in campaign expenditures.

Details of the Complaint and Settlement

The Alaska Public Offices Commission (APOC), responsible for regulating lobbying activity and campaign finance disclosures, unanimously approved the settlement at a hearing on Tuesday. The complaint, originally filed by former Anchorage Assembly member Christopher Constant, alleged that Taylor failed to disclose adequate information for over $187,000 spent on consulting businesses for his campaign.

Taylor’s campaign described these payments as “retainers” or “research” without providing specific details required under state law. Alaska’s campaign finance laws mandate not only disclosing vendors but also specifying the purpose, with more detailed descriptions needed for advertising and consulting expenditures.

Breakdown of Undisclosed Campaign Spending

An APOC investigation found Taylor’s campaign spent significant sums with several firms and an individual, failing to disclose the nature of these expenditures ahead of the primary election. The spending included:

• More than $103,000 to 1892 Inc., a political consulting firm
• Over $17,000 to Fulcrum Intel, an intelligence firm
• More than $26,000 to Sugarhouse Strategies, a political communications firm
• Monthly payments totaling $40,000 to Evan Lee

According to APOC, these descriptions were insufficient to comply with campaign disclosure requirements.

Settlement Terms and Penalties

As agreed in the settlement, Taylor must amend his campaign finance reports to include full descriptions of the expenditures and pay a penalty. While Alaska law allows for a maximum civil penalty of $50 per day for late or inaccurate reports, resulting in an initial fine of $8,350, APOC staff reduced the penalty to $1,087.50. They cited mitigating factors, including Taylor’s status as a first-time candidate and his previously good filing history for campaign reporting.

Kim Stone, APOC campaign disclosure coordinator, clarified that Taylor’s good filing history remains despite previous issues, as the current violations related to different disclosure categories. Taylor’s attorney, Chris Moses, confirmed that the campaign had already prepared the necessary amended reports and did not object to the settlement.

Background and Ongoing Proceedings

Treg Taylor, a former Alaska attorney general, is one of three Republicans and one Democrat running for governor in November. Earlier this year, he faced a separate investigation by APOC and was briefly decertified as a candidate before being reinstated by Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom.

On the same day as Taylor’s hearing, APOC considered other complaints involving Republican gubernatorial candidate Bernadette Wilson and independent lieutenant governor candidate Zac Johnson. No action was taken against Johnson after APOC found a separate complaint about his disclosures unsubstantiated. Decisions regarding Wilson are expected in the coming weeks.

Campaign’s Response

The Taylor campaign did not provide further details about the services the businesses named in the complaint performed, and did not respond to questions from reporters as of Tuesday.

Source: ktoo.org.