Mike Wolanin | The Republic The exterior of The Commons with the Bartholomew County Courthouse pictured in the background in downtown Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017.
A dozen candidates who have run for public office in Bartholomew County in recent years are facing potential penalties, including fines, for failing to file campaign finance reports, county election officials said.
The bipartisan Bartholomew County Election Board has scheduled hearings for 12 candidates who did not file their reports before the deadline, according to the Bartholomew County Clerk’s Office. The hearings are set for Feb. 15.
Under state law, candidates can be fined $50 per calendar day for campaign finance reports filed past the deadline, with a maximum fine of $1,000, according to the Indiana Secretary of State’s Office.
Locally, the three-member election board will not assess fines to candidates who file their late reports before their hearing, said Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz, who serves as secretary on the board. However, the board has not yet decided what action it will take against candidates who do not comply before their hearing.
The hearings are scheduled 29 days after the filing deadline, meaning that candidates who do not file before then could, at least in theory, face the maximum fine of $1,000.
“We have never taken that action as a board, but those are the state guidelines,” Lentz said, referring to assessing fines against candidates. “…Our goal is not to fine anyone. Our goal is to make sure everyone files the reports. That is why our board is starting to be more proactive.”
“Our board has not decided on an action yet as far as how that would proceed,” she added.
Most of the candidates who have hearings ran for office during the previous two elections, though some date back father than that, according to county records. Lentz said candidates who report cash on hand and do not disband their campaign committees are required to file annual campaign finance reports each year, even if they are not on the ballot.
The candidates who have hearings include:
2023 election
Bryan Muñoz, Democrat, Columbus City Council District 6
Christopher Rutan, Republican, Columbus City Council At-Large
Nick Slabaugh, Democrat, Columbus City Council District 1
Sean Burton, independent, Columbus mayor
2022 election
Laura DeDomenic, Republican, Bartholomew County Assessor
Derick Olson, Republican, Bartholomew County Council District 3
Joshua Scherschel, Republican, Bartholomew County Prosecutor
Jacob Thayer Lashley, Democrat, Bartholomew County Recorder
Sharon Persley, Democrat, Bartholomew County Auditor
2020 election
Scott Andrews, Republican, Bartholomew Superior Court 2 judge
2018 election
Tamara Watson, Republican, Bartholomew County Sheriff
2014 election
TA Smith, Republican, Bartholomew County Sheriff
Sending a reminder
County election officials said they reminded the candidates ahead of time about the deadline to file the reports and notified party chairs verbally on the afternoon of Jan. 17, the deadline to file the reports. Certified letters were then sent out to a total of 22 candidates who had not filed their reports.
Eight of those candidates— including two current Columbus City Council members and one current Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. School Board member — turned in their reports late. Those candidates include:
2023 election
Tom Dell, Democrat, Columbus City Council At-Large
Jerone Wood, Democrat, Columbus City Council District 3
Alex Engelbert, Republican, Columbus City Council At-Large
Quisha Jackson, Democrat, Columbus City Clerk
2022 election
Blake Fields, Democrat, Bartholomew County Council District 3
Logan Shultz, BCSC School Board
2018 election
Matt Myers, Republican, Bartholomew County Sheriff
David Jones, Republican, Bartholomew County Council District 3
Lentz, for her part, said the board is just trying to “take a more proactive stance” to ensure the reporting is accurate and timely.
“Our election board wanted to be more proactive, and that’s why we decided to look at bringing in some penalties for these late reports,” Lentz said. “When you’re on the ballot, it’s on the forefront of your mind. When you only do an annual report, it’s very easy to forget that report. We send out reminders every time there is a report due for anyone.”
