Sund, Thomas: Alleged violation of RCW 42.17A.205, .235 & .240 for failure to timely register as a candidate with the PDC, and timely & accurately report contributions & expenditures. (EY '19) (July '19)

Case

#55534

Respondent

Tom Sund

Complainant

Ron Anderson

Description

The PDC received a complaint alleging that Tom Sund (the “Respondent”) may have violated RCW 42.17A.205, .235 & .240 by failing to timely register as a candidate within two weeks of becoming a candidate, and timely & accurately report contributions & expenditures on C-3 & C-4 reports.

PDC staff reviewed the allegations; the applicable statutes, rules and reporting requirements; the responses provided by the Respondent; and the Respondent’s reporting history to determine whether they support a finding of one or more violations. Staff’s review found the following:

The Respondent is a first-time candidate who filed with Elections officials on May 17, 2019 and was therefore required to file a Candidate Registration (C-1 report) with the PDC within two weeks, or no later than May 31, 2019. 

The Respondent filed a C-1 report with the PDC on August 3, 2019, which is 64 days late. On the C-1 report, the Respondent selected the Mini-reporting Option, whereby a candidate’s campaign is not required to file C-3 & C-4 reports with the PDC if they raise & spend no more than $5,000 and receive no more than $500 from any one contributor. 

Noncompliance was the result of a good-faith error or omission, which the Respondent quickly took corrective action to resolve upon being notified. 

Based on these findings, staff determined that, in this instance, the Respondent’s failure to timely register as a candidate does not amount to a violation that warrants further investigation. However, the PDC reminded the Respondent about the importance of timely filing all future PDC reports. The PDC has dismissed this matter in accordance with RCW 42.17A.755(1). 

Disposition

Case Closed with Reminder

Date Opened

August 01, 2019

Areas of Law

RCW 42.17A.205, RCW 42.17A.235, RCW 42.17A.240

Documents

• 55534 Sund Thomas Complaint.pdf
• 55534 Sund Thomas Reminder Letter.pdf
• 55534 Sund Thomas Response.pdf