I’ve written about this twice before in January 2012 and in November 2012. It’s about the unpaid campaign finance fines. The total amount owed now is over $1.7 million. It’s pretty likely you’ll recognize a few names on there.

Ken Block recently had a a letter to the editor of the Providence Journal where he asked similar questions. Why are these fines not being collected? It seems the only real power the Board of Elections has to enforce the law is to refer the cases to the state’s Attorney General.

How the fines are generated is this. If you don’t file your campaign finance report on time, it’s a $25 fine. For every additional day it is late is another $2. So the amounts keep adding up. In today’s Political Scene, the Providence Journal contacted some of the General Assembly legislators who owed fines and some of them seemed unaware and paid them immediately.

A few others jump out though. Three members of the Providence City Council owe a cumulative $87,000. These three councilors are Luis Aponte, Kevin Jackson and Davian Sanchez. In Aponte’s case, he’s not just late, he actually hasn’t even filed a report since April 2010. According to the Board of Elections web site, he has not submitted any of the last 21 reports that were due.

Why do people find this acceptable? Why is it that if we have a speeding ticket, we can’t renew a driver’s license until that ticket is paid? Why if we get three or more parking tickets, our car gets a disabling device attached until we pay the parking ticket fees? But yet, our elected officials, the people who create our laws, are not following the law and are not being forced to follow the law? Why are these not being investigated?

How about we put some real teeth in the law. I’m guessing we can’t prevent a candidate from running for office just for having these fines, but if we could, I’m all for it. But in the meantime, why don’t we dock their salary until the fines are paid? Why don’t we withhold their state income tax returns? Why not keep them from registering a car or renewing their driver’s license?

This blatant disregard for the law and contempt for the taxpayers should not be tolerated. Anyone in the General Assembly who submits a bill to put more teeth into enforcing these fines will have all my support on that. Let’s get it done, let’s enforce these laws and get these fines paid.

Addendum: One of those Providence councilors, Kevin Jackson also reached a settlement agreement with the Board of Elections in April, according to the meeting minutes. There are no details on the settlement, but the part that is interesting is that even since that meeting, Jackson still has not submitted any of the three required campaign finance reports. It’s hard to believe that someone is penitent about missing previous reports when they continue the same behavior. (h/t Ken Block)