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T'ville wets file PAC but dry side has not The group advocating a "yes" vote on Aug. 14 to legalize alcohol sales in Thomasville has filed political committee organization papers as required by law with the Clarke County Probate Judge. The group opposing legalized sales has not. "People Responsibly Organized For Alcohol Control In Thomasville"- ProAct- filed its paperwork with Judge Becky Presnall at the Clarke County Courthouse in Grove Hill June 27. Tammy Ackerman was listed as chairman and Thomas L. Duke was named as treasurer. Both are Thomasville residents. The group's filings describe itself as "For advertising the wet side of wet-dry refer." And said it has "No connections w/any outside groups." Pro-Act listed a date of Aug. 25 for it to terminate and said it didn't anticipate any left over campaign funds but would donate any to charity that were not spent on the campaign. On June 29 Pro-Act filed a 45- day pre-election report that listed $985 in cash contributions and $128 in expenditures. The expenditures were for a $106 ad in The Thomasville Times and for rental of a Thomasville post office box. The group opposing legalized sales, "Citizens Against Alcohol Sales in Thomasville ((CAAST)," has not filed any organization papers, according to the Probate Judge's office. Rob Moore is chairman of the group and his name is listed on advertisements that have promoted a dry vote. In 2005, when a municipal wetdry vote was held in Jackson, both sides filed organization papers with the probate judge that named their principal officers and also detailed contributions and expenditures. Jackson voted to legalize sales in that referendum. That vote opened the door for Thomasville to also hold a municipal referendum. Clarke County is a dry county, that is, legalized alcohol sales are prohibited. The Alabama Fair Campaign Practice Act requires committees promoting the election of individuals or promoting a particular vote on ballot issues- such as the Aug. 14 wet-dry vote in Thomasville- to file organizational papers listing their officers and to detail contributions and expenditures. Local candidates and matters of a local nature such as the wet-dry issue are instructed to file with the local probate judge. State law requires a political committee to detail contributions and expenditures 45 days before and again between 10 and five days before an election that the committee is seeking to influence. Individual donations of $100 or more are supposed to list the donor's name. Individual donations of less than $100 each can be grouped in a cumulative total and that is apparently what Pro- Act did on its June 29 filing. Violations of the Fair Campaign Practice Act are considered Class A misdemeanors and are subject to a fine of not more than $2,000 or imprisonment of not more than one year or both. Violations of reporting requirements of the act are Class B misdemeanors and subject to a fine of $1,000 or more or an amount not to exceed double the amount or value of the contributions or expenditures not reported, whichever is greater, or imprisonment of not more than six months, or both.
For example, if a committee has contributions in hand of $10,000, it could be fined $20,000 for violating the provisions of this act.
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