Donna Nelson fined for campaign finance violations

From the Statesman-Journal:

The Oregon Elections Division has fined state Rep. Donna Nelson, R-McMinnville, $3,475 in civil penalties after ruling that she violated election laws during her 2006 re-election campaign.

Nelson was fined for failure to file four campaign finance reports for the primary and general elections and for failure to keep campaign contribution records current within seven days, said Jennifer Hertel, Elections Division compliance specialist. ...

Nelson signed forms stipulating that she wouldn't raise or spend more than $2,000 for the primary or general elections. Those enable a candidate to avoid submitting detailed campaign finance reports.

An Elections Division investigation determined that Nelson had exceeded the $2,000 threshold when she filed both statements.

Nelson said she was unaware that many checks had been sent to her campaign because she wasn't opening all her mail. However, she acknowledged that two envelopes containing campaign checks were hand-delivered to her by lobbyists.

Of course, Rep. Donna Nelson told colleagues on the last day of the session that she's done for good.

Discuss.

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    Fined her $3,475 dollars? Where's the justice in this?

    It should have been $3,482 dollars! Paul Romaine or one of those other slugs can make up the difference.

    As someone who gave to her opposition's campaign --in the Blue Oregon "fight the trolls" movement-- I'm appalled that these people like Nelson working to destroy our democracy aren't doing a perp walk to a federal pen.

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    This must be both hide-chapping and satisfying for Sal Peralta, who lost by a pale whisker to Nelson in 06. I hope he runs again, he is a strong candidate and would make a fine State Rep for Yamhill and McMinnvillians. Here's a fun photo from last year... people actually voted for this woman? http://www.blueoregon.com/2006/10/statesmanjourna.html

  • David (unverified)
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    And What Pray Tell Happened To The Sterling lady in Scappoose with her Land Deals or Cold Cash Jefferson? Fair and Balanced Ya Know

  • Bert Lowry (unverified)
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    Yes, David, two wrongs make a right. Now why don't you go play outside and let the adults have a little conversation, okay?

  • wharf rat (unverified)
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    David the Troll....

    Is that the best that you can do? Too much beer from the BrewFest fogging the brain cells ?

    Jefferson is a piker, he dishonors the long history of big city Democrat [that is the politically correct spelling now, right ???] mayors, councilmembers and reps. Back in my day the ward heelers would give that much away in a couple of days. We've fallen on hard times. The Republican are out-corrupting us by huge margins. They've even got better "nom de plumes"......Dusty Foggo, indeed! Scooter. Turd Blossom!!!!!

    The party has gone to hell....women, queers, greens, farmers, Metsicans, crackers, darker folks....I'm glad I'm getting old and will soon be with the luminaries of our party, Harry T., FDR, Booby K., MLK. Whatchu got? Nixon and Duke Cunningham, Abramoff, Conrad Burns, King George and Dick the Deceiver. Fine plot material for Harry Potter to slay but hardly ones to look up to.

    My sympathies

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    The Sterling Lady was vindicated long ago; hadn't you heard?

  • pdxskip (unverified)
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    What a waste of time commenting on this story. The legislators (both Dem and Rep) are constantly screwing up their required financial reporting.

    I would like more investigation into Sen Betsy Johnson's airport fiaso. The story seems to have died without any resolution. It sounds like corruption to me.....and this is the type of sneaky land deals that have plague our party since the late 40's.

    Sigh.....it never seems to end, we never seem to learn, and eventually we somehow against all odds find a way to give control back to the Republicans by our own jackass arrogance.

    I know there is little place at the table at Lucky Lab for an old moderate Dem like me, but can't any of you younger so called progressive types keep us around for our historic perspectives?

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    What a waste of time commenting on this story. The legislators (both Dem and Rep) are constantly screwing up their required financial reporting. I would like more investigation into Sen Betsy Johnson's airport fiaso. The story seems to have died without any resolution. It sounds like corruption to me.....and this is the type of sneaky land deals that have plague our party since the late 40's.
    Somebody did do more investigation. It's all a bunch of crap. Ironically, the only thing she was guilty of (and copped to fully) was bad financial reporting--which you seem to think is passe anyway. In fact, Johnson DID report it, but in the wrong year. Also, the sale was part of a financial disclosure that reflected the purchase, although it was not itemized.
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    This was much, much different than screwing up your reporting.

    Screwing up is missing a check in a big pile that you're inputting. Or transposing numbers. Or (back when you filed on paper) you couldn't get the paperwork faxed in on time because your machine broke, the line was busy, etc. There used to be a lot of those kinds of errors.

    This was a case of deliberately not reporting information and then lying about it. She filed paperwork saying she would not spend or receive more than $2,000. Looking through what reports she did finally report, she received and spent tens of thousands of dollars. It's pretty hard for you to bring in and spend that much money and not know you're over the $2K limit and that you need to start filing everything.

  • David (unverified)
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    Actually Torrid Joe I agree with You I have Harry ,Scoop Jackson, But No Booby K as you wrote It and I voted Democrat Till They Went Homosexual agenda

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    Jenni's right. A minor clerical error is one thing. Deliberately misreporting ALL of your donations is quite another.

    Oh, and PDX Skip, can you identify the last Democrat to have even a minor campaign finance fine from the state? And tell us how many Republicans have had fines (and don't forget Dan Doyle, who went to jail) since that last Democrat?

    If you're gonna tar everyone with the same brush, at least share your data.

  • anonymous (unverified)
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    She should have been fined for fashion violations. In every picture I've seen of her, she looks like Liz Taylor on the set of "Cleopatra".

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    Lots of candidates violate campaign finance laws all time time. Except it's almost always the case that they've just reported late or didn't amend a form properly.

    Take a look at all the violators here at the Secretary of State's Elections Division site.

    <h2>Of course, none of them rise to the level of Representative Nelson's months-long negligence.</h2>
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