RALEIGH -- The State Board of Elections believes candidates should be on the hook personally for what their campaigns do.
At the end of its hearing into the campaign finance activity of former Gov. Mike Easley, board Chairman Larry Leake said state law makes it too easy for candidates to deny responsibility for improprieties. It's also easy for a campaign to quickly run out of money and not have enough cash to pay penalties, such as the $100,000 levied Friday against Easley's campaign.
Easley's campaign doesn't have enough money to pay, an attorney for the campaign said.
"Candidates do not accept sufficient responsibility and ownership of their campaigns," Leake said. "If all understand that if their committee messes up, then the state board could be getting into their pocketbook, they might be more attentive."
Easley testified that he had almost no involvement in his campaign finance operation, which raised about $20 million over two successful campaigns for governor. Easley could not shed light on campaign documents that set out a strategy to undermine contribution limits by funneling money through the N.C. Democratic Party and other organizations.
The board determined that although Easley's campaign may have had the strategy, no evidence showed the party was involved in it.
In previous cases, the board has penalized at least four other campaigns, including committees for former Agriculture Commissioner Meg Scott Phipps and House Speaker Jim Black. Very little has been paid.
Sen. Tony Rand, a Fayetteville Democrat and powerful rules chairman in the Senate, said he stays away from the campaign finance paperwork.
"I don't look at my reports, and I don't make the deposits. I don't write the checks. I don't have anything to do with mine, because I don't want to get within 50 yards of it," said Rand, the Senate majority leader.
Rand said he relies on his campaign treasurer, who under the law is responsible for the accuracy of reports.
Rand said putting candidates on the hook might be necessary, although he would prefer to see the individual responsible for the wrongdoing held accountable.
Jane Pinsky, director of the N.C. Coalition for Lobbying and Government Reform, said candidates are already required to put their name at the end of campaign commercials to ensure they are responsible for what is said in their name.
"Now they need to be legally responsible for what people are doing in their name," Pinsky said.
Leake said Easley's campaign should not give up on paying the penalty.
"I would hope that the committee would see fit, since it has shown it is a prolific fundraiser ... to go raise it," Leake said.
Staff writers Joseph Neff and J. Andrew Curliss contributed to this report.
