02/26/2007

Questions raised over mailings in recall

'Sometimes I wonder why we have finance laws'

By Brian Mcgillivary

bmcgillivary@record-eagle.com

ACME — When Grand Traverse County Clerk Linda Coburn received fresh campaign literature from the Acme Recall Committee at her home, she got on the phone to committee chairman Lewis Griffith.

Coburn knew the pro-recall committee hadn't reported contributions that paid for the mailings, as required by state campaign law, just one of several state campaign finance reporting problems she uncovered with recall supporters, Coburn said.

"Sometimes I wonder why we have campaign finance laws if no one is going to follow them anyway,” she said.

Griffith filed the required paperwork late Friday, and reported another $1,200 in contributions.

Acme Supervisor Bill Kurtz, Clerk Dorothy Dunville, Treasurer Bill Boltres, and trustees Paul Scott, Erick Takayama, Wayne Kladder and Frank Zarafonitis all face recall Tuesday, stemming from their opposition to aspects of a proposed Meijer store along M-72.

Meijer has gone to court eight times in efforts to bend the board to its will, but lost each case.

The recall, if it succeeds, may allow Meijer to escape building two sidewalks and moving its gas station off M-72, as the Acme board has mandated.

Coburn has had difficulty tracking down some of the recall backers who mailed campaign literature to township voters.

But it was clear to her they spent far more than the $100 threshold for non-disclosure of independent expenditures, since the township boasts almost 3,000 registered voters and 1,789 households.

Coburn said she wants to speak with former Acme Township Clerk Noelle Knopf, who obtained addresses of absentee voters to target them with mailings.

Neither Knopf, the Acme Recall Committee or anyone else had reported those expenditures before Friday, she said.

Another group tied to mailings is the nonprofit Acme Taxpayers for Responsible Government, formed to provide "educational information” to township residents.

The group sent out one mailing that stated Acme board members had done everything alleged on the recall ballot and reminded residents to vote on Tuesday. Since the letters stop short of taking a specific position on the recall, their funding sources do not have to be reported.

Dan Rosa, the group's treasurer, declined to disclose how much the mailing cost, or if Meijer paid for it.

"I'm not willing to disclose where any of our funding is coming from,” he said.

Meijer officials did not return a call seeking comment.

Paul Brink, of the nonprofit Concerned Citizens for Acme Township, said his organization hasn't been active during the recall, but he agreed to provide financial information for the group, which supports the current board.

Brink said all fundraising has been done through the political action committee Acme Citizens for Responsible Growth.

"We have been very up-front about who has given us money and we have filed all of our reports on time,” he said.

Acme Citizens for Responsible Growth raised $13,730 from 80 people, with donations ranging from $10 to $1,500.

Richard and Mary Smith, longtime residents of Acme Township, gave donations totalling $1,100.

"We have a love for Acme Township and the township board is giving us good, effective leadership,” Richard Smith said. "My wife and I pledged this money to help defer the cost of advertising that would combat the misleading and untrue statements being made in the press and letters to Acme voters.”

The Acme Recall Committee reported raising $3,000 in 2006 from nine people. The largest single contribution of $500 came from Ron Reinhold, who is also a member of Acme Taxpayers for Responsible Government.

Reinhold said he is one of the few people in the township who understands the large financial threat to Acme Township taxpayers if "Meijer finds justice in a court.”

"I feel it was my duty as one of the few who understood the threat to do what I can to limit the damage,” he said.

Before Griffith's late Friday filing, the Acme Recall Committee reported it did not receive any contributions and spent just $3 in the first 45 days of 2007.