Kiley's PAC in violation of State campaign finance law

Middletown Democrats group not registered

By MICHAEL MACAGNONE, COURIER TIMES STAFF WRITER

A political committee raising money for Gina Kiley, a Democrat seeking her party’s nod in the 142nd House District primary Tuesday, appears to have done so without filing the appropriate paperwork with the state as required by Pennsylvania law.

Middletown United has previously raised funds for municipal candidates. It started working with Kiley, a Middletown lawyer, this spring, according to a campaign finance report filed last week with the Bucks County Board of Elections. However, the Pennsylvania Department of State, which handles campaign finances for state legislative races, said it has no record of the committee.

Committee Treasurer Harry Arnold, also the chairman of the Middletown Democratic Party and the 142nd District Democratic Party, said Thursday he was certain the group had filed all the necessary paperwork.

“If something wasn’t filed and it should have been, I’m sure it was an oversight,” he said. “We filed everything that we’re supposed to, that I’m aware of.”

After saying he would check on the paperwork and get back to a reporter, Arnold didn’t return follow-up calls for comment Thursday. Attempts to reach Kiley for comment were unsuccessful.

The committee doesn’t appear on the state’s list of political committees that have been registered to raise money for state candidates. Ron Ruman, a spokesman for the Pennsylvania Department of State, said the online list was updated as of April 18. Even if the committee filed after that, it would still be in violation of campaign law.

Ruman also said all committees that expect or intend to raise more than $250 have to send a registration form to the state with information about their principal officers and contact information before they start raising money on behalf of a candidate.

The committee raised money for Kiley before April 18, including an April 8 fundraiser at the Middletown Country Club, according to its county filing. In total, the committee has raised more than $4,000 and spent more than $3,000 on behalf of Kiley’s campaign.

In addition, the committees have to file a candidate authorization form, which allows the committee to raise money. The most recent county authorization forms were for municipal races. The state did not have any records of Middletown United filing that for Kiley’s campaign.

The state’s records for Kiley indicate she received $262 in the form of in-kind donations from herself. There was no mention of any affiliation with or donations from Middletown United.

Ruman said the Department of State doesn’t have any punitive authority for campaign finance law violations, and would refer any cases with merit to the relevant district attorney or the attorney general.

Kiley’s primary opponent, former Neshaminy School Board President Ritchie Webb, has a bit more money on hand.

A copy of the hand-written financial filing provided by the committee, Webb For PA, stated the committee raised $9,763 and spent $4,171 between March 26 and May 6, leaving $5,592 cash on hand. States records showed Thursday that the report was still in data entry and not available yet on the state website.

The winner of the May 20 Democratic primary will face state Rep. Frank Farry, R-142, Langhorne, in November.

The Democratic candidate who wins in Tuesday’s primary will face an uphill fundraising battle against Farry.

The most recent filing from Farry’s campaign available online — from the end of March — shows the incumbent had more than $100,000 cash on hand. The latest report, from the May 8 filing deadline, was also in data entry, according to state records.

Farry said his latest report would show he had about $118,000 in his campaign war chest. He said the amount reflects a “broad base of support” among his constituents and local business owners.

Webb acknowledged the gap is large, but said it wouldn’t last long after the primary ended and the party settled on a candidate.

“Bottom line is it will be a major hurdle. However with other people getting behind us and getting the support of Democratic party — and we think we will get the support of some moderate Republicans — we think we will be competitive,” Webb said. “It is a hard figure to ignore, but it is not insurmountable.”