Robinson, Richard W.: Alleged violations of RCW 42.17A.205, .700 & .235 for failure to timely register as a candidate & file financial affairs statement within 2 weeks of declaring candidacy & timely report contributions & expenditures. (EY '19) (Jul '19)

Case

#54972

Respondent

Richard W. Robinson

Complainant

Glen Morgan

Description

The PDC received a complaint alleging that Richard Robinson (the “Respondent”) may have violated RCW 42.17A.205, .235 & .700 by failing to timely register as a candidate and file a statement of financial affairs within two weeks of becoming a candidate, and timely 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 candidate who filed with Elections officials on May 17, 2019 and was therefore required to file a Candidate Registration (C-1 report) and Personal Financial Affairs Statement (F-1 report) with the PDC within two weeks, or no later than May 31, 2019. 

The Respondent filed an F-1 report with the PDC on June 20, 2019, which is 20 days late. The Respondent filed a C-1 report with the PDC on September 1, 2019, which is 93 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. 

In his response to the complaint, the Respondent indicated noncompliance was due to a medical emergency. 

Based on these findings, staff determined that, in this instance, the Respondent’s failure to timely register as a candidate and file a statement of financial affairs 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

July 19, 2019

Areas of Law

RCW 42.17A.205, RCW 42.17A.235, RCW 42.17A.700

Documents

• 54972 Robinson Richard Complaint.pdf
• 54972 Robinson Richard Response.pdf
• 54972 Robinson Richard Reminder Letter.pdf