Hamilton County Commissioners Greg Beck, Richard Casavant and Bill Hullander all want to be elected to manage county money, but all missed the deadline to file their own campaign finance documents.
Both Mr. Hullander and Dr. Casavant said there were problems with the treasurers in their campaigns. Mr. Beck, running for re-election in District 5, failed to return several calls for comment.
All three got their financial papers to the Hamilton County Election Commission on Wednesday, the day after they were due.
The campaign Web site for Mr. Hullander, who’s leaving his commission seat to run for county trustee, says the trustee’s office is largely responsible for “keeping accurate records for each transaction” related to county funds. But he said he didn’t think missing the campaign finance deadline “will be a problem.”
“I think the taxpayers will be kind-hearted enough to know my 90-year-old treasurer got sick and I was not going to push him to do that,” he said.
Dr. Casavant, the dean of the College of Business and Technology at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga who is running for re-election to District 2, said his treasurer was out of town on the day of the deadline. He wasn’t sure how District 2 constituents would react to the late file.
“It’s why we have a free press and why people vote, to determine the severity of what has gone on here,” he said.
In comparison, the primary challengers facing the three commissioners all filed their campaign finance documents before the deadline. Out of 35 candidates running for county office, 29 filed on time.
Three other candidates for county office — R. Chester Heathington, Gwen Tidwell and Richard Tornquist — had not filed their documents as of Thursday evening. Mr. Heathington is running for county clerk, Ms. Tidwell is running for Criminal Court clerk and Mr. Tornquist is running for the District 9 County Commission seat.
Documents list contributors, amounts, spending and personal loans. But filing late is common in most elections, said Charlotte Mullis-Morgan, acting administrator for the Hamilton County Election Commission.
“There have always been one or two a day late,” she said. “It never fails.”
The penalties for missing the deadline don’t seem to curtail routine tardiness.
According to Tennessee Registry of Election Finance Director Drew Rawlins, a certified letter is sent to a candidate the day after the deadline is missed. The candidate has five days from the day the letter is received to submit documents before penalties are assessed.
For up to 30 days, a candidate is charged $25 for each day that they fail to file. Only when a candidate waits 31 days does a $10,000 civil penalty become an option.
“We have to beat some people with a stick to get them to file,” said Mr. Rawlins.
When asked to comment on the strength and meaning of Tuesday’s deadline, Mr. Rawlins declined comment.
CAMPAIGN FINANCES
County Commission District 2
* Richard Casavant (R) (incumbent)
Balance on hand last report: $0
Money raised: $18,251.90
Money spent: $11,893.13
County Commission District 5
* Greg Beck (D) (incumbent)
Balance on hand last report: $2,451.72
Money raised: $9,055.00
Money spent: $11,376.24
Hamilton County Trustee
* Bill Hullander (R)
Balance on hand last report: $892.61
Money raised: $41,865.00
Money spent: $31,270.17
Source: Candidates’ financial campaign forms