Pollina may seek loans for excess contributions
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By Daniel Barlow Vermont Press Bureau - Published: August 19, 2008
MONTPELIER – Anthony Pollina's gubernatorial campaign is considering having supporters loan the candidate money to cover roughly $27,000 in expected debt after he accepted more money than allowed under state law.
More than a week after realizing that supporters exceeded the contribution limits, Pollina's campaign said Monday they are still looking at their options to keep the funds and move forward with his campaign for governor.
Communications Director Meg Brook said the campaign is still working to contact the 34 contributors who gave too much money to the campaign to determine what to do and how those donors may continue supporting him in the race.
"As we're telling people, they are shocked and really see this as unfair," Brook said. "They want to do everything they can to continue supporting the campaign and we're looking at our options."
Pollina's move away from the Vermont Progressive Party last month – he became an independent candidate — for his gubernatorial campaign was aimed at building a bigger tent for his supporters, but it also greatly reduced the amount of money he can raise this year.
Under Vermont campaign regulations, independents can only receive $1,000 per contributor for the general election; members of political parties can raise twice that because they are campaigning in both a primary and general election.
According to a campaign finance report last month, Pollina's supporters gave him about $27,000 over the new limit, although many of the donations came before he made the party switch. The Vermont Secretary of State's office – which recommends returning the excess donations — alerted the campaign to the problem earlier this month.
Brook said campaign staff met to discuss the issue Monday, and options on the table include having supporters loan the campaign money or form their own political action committees in their communities to support his run for governor.
"This is a slow process," she said. "It's not going to happen overnight."
While the Secretary of State's office oversees elections in the state, it is the Vermont Attorney General's office that would prosecute violations of the campaign finance law. Assistant Attorney General Mike McShane said Monday that he agrees with the secretary of state's opinion on the Pollina contributions.
"It's pretty clear that he only has one election this year and can only accept contributions of up to $1,000," McShane said.
McShane said his office has not received a specific complaint from anyone over the excess contributions and has not launched an investigation. His office has the ability to bring forward civil and criminal charges for violations.
"If we get a complaint, we would investigate," he said. "But right now there is no indication that they were intentionally accepting contributions over the limit."
Contact Daniel Barlow at Daniel.Barlow@timesargus.com.
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