Ethics Commission sanctions 5 of 7 Georgia Senate candidates
The State Ethics Commission on Wednesday sanctioned five of the seven candidates in the special election for a suburban Atlanta Senate seat, saying they failed to disclose personal financial information.
The commission also fined three Georgia legislators who failed to file campaign contribution reports or financial disclosures as required by state law.
Georgia law requires candidates and elected officials to disclose details of their personal finances. It also requires them to report their campaign contributions and expenses on a regular basis. In both cases, the goal is to give voters information about the candidates and the business and political interests supporting their campaigns.
Five candidates for Senate District 21, which covers parts of Fulton and Cherokee counties, failed to file personal financial disclosures in a timely fashion: Democrat Debra Shigley and Republicans Lance Calvert, Stephanie Donegan, Steven West and Brian Will. All five admitted to the violations. All have since filed the required forms.
Calvert, Donegan and Shigley will pay fines and penalties of $250 under agreements approved by the State Ethics Commission on Wednesday. Will and West will pay $125 each because they mistakenly believed that financial disclosures they filed for other elected offices would suffice for the Senate race.
Last month Shigley advanced to a Sept. 23 runoff against Republican Jason Dickerson. The runoff will determine which candidate replaces former Sen. Brandon Beach, a Republican who left to become U.S. treasurer under President Donald Trump.
Meanwhile, the commission also fined three legislators for failing to file various campaign and personal financial disclosure reports. Sen. Derek Mallow, D-Savannah, will pay $1,000 in late fees and penalties for failing to file six campaign contribution reports and one personal financial statement.
Sen. Kenya Wicks, D-Fayette, will pay $325 for failing to file one campaign contribution report. And Rep. Miriam Paris, D-Macon, will pay $500 for failing to file two personal financial disclosure reports.
About the Author
David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues. Previously, he covered local government and politics in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
