MAMAKATING – The Mamakating Republican Committee has failed to file required financial disclosure forms with the New York State Board of Elections (NYSBoE). Steve Wilkinson, chairman of the Sullivan County Democratic Party, said in a press release sent out late Tuesday, October 27, that a high-gloss, district-targeted mailing sent out by the Mamakating Republicans should have cost the committee approximately $2,600. NYSBoE requires that campaigns that spend more than $1,000 must disclose their list of contributors so that voters are given an opportunity to see who is funding which candidate. This year the committee, however, has missed a total of seven filing deadlines with NYSBoE, including the most recent, the deadline for which was last Friday, October23.

"This is outrageous, these candidates who want to run the Town of Mamakating cannot even follow [New York State] election law," Wilkinson said in the press release. "Who's donating to this committee and where is the money coming from?"

The State of New York requires candidates to file a series of financial disclosure statements during the course of an election campaign. These disclosures are designed to prevent a situation in which someone with significant financial resources — a developer or a big-box retailer, for example, some of whom might prefer that their name not appear on such statements — could attempt to influence or subvert an election without community residents knowing this was occurring.

The Mamakating GOP, in addition to missing the deadlines in question, has not obtained its "filer ID number," which means that the Mamakating Republican Committee is effectively flying under the radar insofar as state scrutiny is concerned.

"Nobody knows they [the Mamakating GOP] exist," Wilkinson said in a phone interview this past Wednesday.

In addition to questions regarding the mailing, Wilkinson's press release states that it is the committee treasurer who would be subject to civil and/or criminal penalties under New York State election law. These penalties range from a $500 fine for a minor infraction to a class "E" felony under certain circumstances for knowingly violating the disclosure law. The current Mamakating Republican Committee Treasurer is general contractor and former Town of Mamakating Supervisor Duane Roe.

A search of the database at the NYSBoE website returned only the filings for the Mamakating Democratic Committee and the Committee to Elect Judith E. Young for Town of Mamakating Justice, both of which appear to be in order.

Last Friday, October 23, the Mamakating Republican Committee did submit a last-minute filing with the Sullivan County Board of Elections (SCBoE). This report, however, is separate from the one required by the state. Harold Baird, Republican candidate for Town of Mamakating supervisor, gave the Journal copies of these disclosure documents. However, these documents appear to be incomplete. "They're [the disclosure forms] incomplete because they [the Mamakating GOP] have never registered with the state," Wilkinson said.

A complaint filed with the state by the SCBoE alleges that the Mamakating Republicans have spent a total of $4,254 on this year's campaign, which would place the committee's expenditures far above the $1,000 disclosure threshold. The documents provided to the Journal by Baird, in fact, indicate that the committee raised just under $3,000 during the most recent portion of this year's election cycle, but that it has spent a total of $12,837 on the campaign, more than 12 times the $1,000 limit. The committee apparently had $10,465 on hand that had been raised earlier, but the disclosure documents pertaining to these funds are not among the paperwork Baird gave to the Journal.

The paperwork did, however, include a copy of a check for $2,500 made payable to Jay Townsend, a noted political consultant in Cornwall-on-Hudson. When contacted by the Journal, Townsend stated that the check in question was for services he provided during the primary election. It would also appear to be tacit confirmation that the Mamakating GOP has exceeded the $1,000 limit imposed by state election law.

It should be noted, however, that Baird and his two running mates for town board each filed an election form — known as CF-16 — back in early July, stating that the Mamakating Republican Committee would be acting as an "authorized committee" for the campaign. Baird said that he and his running mates had, therefore, placed the financial aspects of the campaign into the hands of the Mamakating Republican Committee and that he was unaware of any disclosure oversight.

The GOP candidates in the Town of Mamakating — in addition to Baird — include newcomer John Moul and former Mamakating Councilwoman Regina Saunders, both of whom are running for town board; incumbent Highway Superintendent Richard Johnson; and Town Justice Marcelle Matthews, who is also appearing on the Democratic ballot line.