Campaign Finance Commission fines Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms $37,000
ATLANTA - In 2017 we reported then city councilwoman Keisha Lance Bottoms charged taxpayers $40,000 for her end of the year city council district flyer. But, she mailed it outside her district and all across the city. It included 80 pictures of her in action.
Our report lead to a 2018 campaign finance complaint when Keisha Lance Bottoms ran for Mayor. Log Cabin Republicans wanted Bottoms investigated for the flyer and other campaign disclosure issues.
While Bottoms began her term as Mayor in January 2018 the case dragged on for some three years when Bottoms obtained a new lawyer.
After years of legal issues, continuances, and a pandemic the case was finally settled.
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The Ethics Commission found that Ms. Bottoms accepted $6,900 in contributions that exceeded legal limits and accepted $110,797 in contributions that exceeded debt limits and she failed to use the correct accounting method.
"The mayor is not afraid to admit when she makes a mistake, said her attorney Carey Miller.
Bottom's attorney, Carey Mille,r told the commission the mistake revolved around the Mayor not filling out a proper form required by law and is now ready to put this behind her.
At the end of the day, the Mayor has determined it is in the best interest of her and the citizens of Atlanta for her to be able to turn back and focus on what we can all agree is an extraordinary time.
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The fine: $37,000 dollars. The Mayor has 30 days to pay it.
"It is a sizeable fine," said Ethics Commission chairman Jake Evans. "I think it is a relatively egregious violation of the act. I think Mayor Bottoms did the right thing in coming forward taking accountability for it," Evans said.
As for those flyers, we told you about. The commission found they were permissible under the law. All 58 pages.
The Commission also took up complaints that had been filed against Governor Brian Kemp and the woman he ran against Stacey Abrams. The commission dismissed all those complaints about lack of evidence.
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