State PDC: Committee late in reporting expenses

YAKIMA, Wash. -- The state Public Disclosure Commission ruled Wednesday that a political action committee backing last February's ballot measure to switch Yakima to a strong-mayor form of government failed to report campaign expenses in a timely manner.

The commission found that Citizens for Safer Streets and Lower Taxes were late in reporting a total of $11,620.

The committee was more than two months late in reporting $5,454 spent between Dec. 1 and Jan. 17 for newspaper advertisements, committee yard signs, website design and campaign consultation.

The committee was also more than a month late in reporting $6,166 in expenses for services in January from public relations and advertising firm Smith Phillips & DiPietro.

The violations yielded a $400 fine, though the committee will get $150 back if no other violations are made in the next four years.

Bruce Smith, publisher of the Yakima Valley Business Times and the committee's vice chair, said the committee accepted the violations and the fine.

"They were both clerical mistakes," he said.

The hearing was prompted by a complaint filed by Ron Bonlender, a former City Council member and Democratic Party activist.

Bonlender also questioned whether it was lawful for Smith to use advertising credit from his newspaper business to pay for campaign publicity, but the commission said such a move did not raise concerns for investigators.