Getting a ride from the McIntosh County sheriff to a county barn for a stump speech. Failing to file 11 election-related documents. Not disclosing nearly $6,000 in campaign expenditures.
These violations of Georgia’s campaign finance laws by three separate Coastal Georgia politicians came to light at a State Ethics Commission meeting on Friday in downtown Savannah.
The members of the state body, who are nominated by the Georgia governor, the state senate, and speaker of the house, focused on violations committed both by area Republicans and, significantly, the Democratic district attorney from Chatham County, Shalena Cook Jones.
Cook Jones did not file eight campaign finance disclosures nor three personal financial disclosures required by law in her 2020 campaign.
In a recent interview with The Current, Cook Jones explained away the violations as an administrative error. Ahead of the meeting in Savannah she agreed to file the missing documents belatedly and pay a fine of $3,000 in civil penalties and late fees.
Although Cook Jones had not filed the missing documents by Friday’s meeting, all but one of the commission members were satisfied that she would eventually come into compliance. They identified no other campaign violations after viewing her bank statements, one commissioner said.
One commissioner, however, went on the record about his dismay about Cook Jones’ lack of follow through. “I do think it creates a bad precedent for us to approve a consent order, especially if there’s no language in there saying that they agree they will do it,” Vice Chair Rick Thompson said, “It just basically looks like it’s done.”
The ethics violations come as Cook Jones faces criticism about her management of her office and the discharge of her duties from local political challengers and state Republicans. She is also appealing sanctions against her by a federal judge.
Cook Jones told The Current last week that she would be running for reelection in 2024. As of Monday, Dec. 11, the state campaign finance website does not show any filings of the missing documents from Cook Jones.
Ride from the sheriff broke election rules
The ethics committee also ruled that two elected officials in McIntosh County had violated the law.
Sheriff Stephen Jessup and County Commissioner Davis Poole violated rules around using county resources to boost a political campaign, the commission found.
In 2022, Jessup gave Poole, previously a candidate for county commission, a ride in a sheriff’s office car to a county-owned maintenance facility/barn, where Poole was scheduled to give a stump speech to eight to ten people.
Two sections of the Georgia Transparency and Campaign Finance Act forbids officials directly or indirectly from making “any contribution” to any political campaign and forbids candidates from accepting that contribution.
Jessup agreed to a $500 civil fine.
Poole, meanwhile, failed to disclose $5,827.91 in campaign expenditures, due to a “filing error,” the commission said. He also failed to file a personal financial disclosure. In total, Poole was fined $1,625 in civil penalties and late fees.
