Campaign cash to charities legal for Ga. pols

DeKalb County commissioners are under fire for using public money to support local charities, but politicians across the state use other people’s money to contribute to a variety of causes. And it’s totally legal.

In the past 10 years, state and local candidates have re-purposed more than $2.7 million in campaign donations to charities, according to an analysis of campaign finance reports by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. While political donations are supposed to be used by candidates to run for office, a state law allows politicians to divert “excess” donations to non-profit organizations.

That's in contrast to the controversy surrounding the DeKalb County corruption probe. Former Attorney General Mike Bowers, hired by DeKalb CEO Lee May to investigate county government, said commissioners' practice of using public funds for charitable causes violates the state constitution's ban on gratuities. This week, the county attorney warned commissioners away from using taxpayer money for future gifts.

Politicians like Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed face no such scrutiny when they dip into their campaign accounts to support non-profits, even though the end result — building political good will with someone else’s money — might arguably be the same.

Since 2006, Reed has donated at least $126,000 from his campaign accounts to various charities, more than any other Georgia politician during the period. Most of that giving came in 2013 when he was cruising to re-election.

In a period of a few months, the mayor stroked big checks of $10,000 or more to the Anti-Defamation League, Howard University (where he is a graduate and a trustee), the United Negro College Fund and Atlanta READ, a local literacy program. He also donated $5,000 each to the Trayvon Martin Foundation, the Carrie Steel Pitts Home for Children and 100 Black Men of Atlanta, among others.

For context, Reed’s campaign raised $1.4 million in 2013. His latest campaign report, filed in July, shows the mayor has $277,837 in his campaign account.

“Throughout his time in office, Mayor Reed has donated to charities that he believes are doing meaningful work,” said Anne Torres, Reed’s spokeswoman.

Torres said there was no special meaning behind his burst of giving in 2013 beyond his “personal decision” to contribute. She said he plans to continue doling out similar amounts of his excess campaign cash “in a manner that is consistent with state law.”

Reed has deeper pockets than most, but politicians ranging from Gov. Nathan Deal down to local school board candidates have redirected political contributions to their favorite charities or causes.

As Georgia is firmly in the Bible Belt, a popular recipient for this campaign largess is the local church. Candidates have given more than $96,000 in excess campaign donations to various churches. Baptists tended to claim the lion’s share of this money.

The late Sen. Terrell Starr, D-Forest Park, donated some $13,000 from his campaign in 2006 and 2007 to First Baptist Church in Forest Park, where he served as a deacon. For Starr, who retired in 2005 from the Legislature, the donations were clearly “excess” funds.

Former House Majority Leader Larry O'Neal, R-Bonaire, who retired from office in April, made a number of sizable donations this summer as he cleaned out his campaign account. The largest was a $10,000 grant to a relatively new non-profit called Citizens for a Free Economy, which describes itself as a social welfare organization that seeks to "create jobs and grow our economy by eliminating burdensome regulations and barriers to free enterprise."

While such contributions are popular with those on the way out, more active politicians find opportunities to spread the wealth too.

House Insurance Chairman Richard Smith, R-Columbus, regularly seeds local charities with gifts from his sizable campaign account.

Few state politicians attract political donations like the chair of House Insurance. In the last two-year election cycle, Smith took in $165,000 in campaign donations — 80 percent from political action committees — despite the fact that he was running unopposed for reelection.

During that same cycle, Smith distributed at least $22,615 in charitable donations, mostly to non-profits in his district. Recipients ranged from the Boy Scouts to the Chamber of Commerce to the NAACP. Over the past decade, Smith has redirected about $63,000 in contributions to charities.

Smith said he believes it’s his “moral responsibility.”

“I’ve been very fortunate with campaign contributions,” he said. “I feel like it is a responsibility to support those organizations. All of them that I contribute to do some extremely good work.”

And it is appreciated by the local charities too.

"Richard is fantastic," said Lindsey Reis, executive director of Hope Harbour, a battered women's shelter in Columbus. Smith has contributed more than $8,000 to the shelter over the last several years, but Reis said he does more than write checks.

“We had a walk-in individual last night and he was there. He is a true supporter,” she said.