Pacific County District 3 PUD commissioner Dick Anderson faced the state Public Disclosure Commission today in a hearing surrounding free newspaper advertisements placed by his campaign treasurer, Pat Myers, who was the publisher of the Willapa Harbor Herald during Anderson’s successful 2016 campaign.
The complaint was filed in August 2016 by Ron Brummel, who had also been running for the position but failed to make it to the general election ballot. The complaint alleges Myers, also facing the commission, violated the rules for “making coordinated contributions to a campaign and not listing sponsor identification on advertisements.”
In his official complaint, Brummel said the free advertisements were placed by Myers throughout the campaign and that the value of those advertisements were never listed on campaign contribution forms required by the state. He further said the cost of those advertisements pushed Anderson over the $5,000 cap on the amount of money a candidate is allowed to raise, and Myers over the $500 allowed for individual donors.
The ads were featured in the weekly newspaper from May-August, according to Brummel, who included photocopies of the ads with his complaint. The ads ranged anywhere from small inside advertisements to banner ads to at least one full-page color advertisement. Brummel’s complaint puts the cost of the full page ad at $1,480.
The official charge by the commission reads, “Staff alleges that Richard Anderson, a candidate for Public Utility District (PUD) Commissioner for Pacific County PUD #2, Position No. 3 in 2016, violated: (1) WAC 390-16-125 by exceeding the limitations for the Mini Reporting Option as selected on the Candidate Registration (C-1 report) and as specified in WAC 390-16-105; and (2) RCW 42.17A.205, .235, and .240 by failing to file the required campaign finance reports as a candidate under the Full Reporting Option.”
In his response letter to the commission, dated May 24, 2017, Anderson denied any knowledge of the advertisements until after they were placed by Myers. In part, he wrote, “I don’t subscribe to the Willapa Harbor Herald and so I was unaware that those advertisements were done until after they appeared in the newspaper and I did not have any conversations (with Myers) in advance.”
Anderson further states that during the campaign he met with Myers to set up the campaign bank account and fill out the required Public Disclosure Commission paperwork, but rarely met after that. Myers echoed that in his response letter, stating the two men had met on a construction site some 20 years ago, saw each other at twice-monthly PUD commission meetings, shared a few phone conversations, but that was the extent of their relationship.
Myers went on to say that he had contacted the Public Disclosure Commission prior to placing the advertisements supporting Anderson’s campaign and was told that it was OK for him to do so and that there was no cap on that type of advertising. Myers noted he resigned from Anderson’s campaign soon after the complaint was filed and that he left the Herald in January of 2017.
As for Myers, commission “staff alleges that in 2016, Patrick Myers, Publisher of the Willapa Harbor Herald, ran ‘free’ newspaper advertisements in support of Richard Anderson, a candidate seeking election as Pacific County PUD Commissioner, District #2, Position No. 3. Staff alleges Mr. Myers violated RCW 42.17A.145 and .255(4) by filing false campaign finance reports disclosing the newspaper advertisements as independent expenditures and electioneering communications made in support of Richard Anderson, when the advertisements were in fact in-kind contributions made in support of Mr. Anderson’s campaign.
The Public Disclosure Commission is the state body that governs elections. Today, a four-person panel will listen to arguments and study the case materials and will likely make a ruling on the spot, according to Kim Bradford, communications and outreach director for the commission.
