BERNARD FOR COM'R v. Elections Div.

211 P.3d 321, 229 Or. App. 419
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedJuly 1, 2009
DocketNT8643 NT8644 NT8645 NT8646 NT8647 NT8648 A133666
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 211 P.3d 321 (BERNARD FOR COM'R v. Elections Div.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
BERNARD FOR COM'R v. Elections Div., 211 P.3d 321, 229 Or. App. 419 (Or. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinion

211 P.3d 321 (2009)
229 Or. App. 419

JIM BERNARD FOR CLACKAMAS COUNTY COMMISSIONER, Petitioner,
v.
ELECTIONS DIVISION OF the OFFICE OF the SECRETARY OF STATE, Respondent.

NT8643; NT8644; NT8645; NT8646; NT8647; NT8648; A133666.

Court of Appeals of Oregon.

Argued and submitted July 3, 2008.
Decided July 1, 2009.

*322 Marc D. Blackman, Portland, argued the cause for appellant. With him on the opening brief were Kendra M. Matthews and Ransom Blackman LLP. With him on the reply brief was Ransom Blackman LLP.

Cecil A. Reniche-Smith, Assistant Attorney General, argued the cause for respondent. With her on the brief were Hardy Myers, Attorney General, and Mary H. Williams, Solicitor General.

Before EDMONDS, Presiding Judge, and WOLLHEIM, Judge, and SERCOMBE, Judge.

SERCOMBE, J.

Petitioner is the campaign committee that managed Jim Bernard's bid for election as Clackamas County Commissioner in 2004. It seeks review of an order of the Secretary of State assessing a civil penalty of $11,550 for petitioner's failure to report the value of the use of a large sign structure as a political contribution on its pre-election and post-election contribution and expenditure (C & E) reports for the 2004 primary and general elections. We review the Secretary of State's order for substantial evidence and errors of law, ORS 183.482(8)(a), (c), and affirm.

We state the undisputed facts. Howard Dietrich owns land and a business on S.E. McLoughlin Boulevard in Portland. The property has two large double-sided sign structures on it. Both sign structures are maintained by a sign company. The parties refer to the signs as "billboards," although they are smaller in size than many billboards. Dietrich uses one of the billboards for his own business and personal purposes. Before and after the election, Dietrich displayed an American flag on one side of the sign and driving directions to his business on the other side. Dietrich supported Bernard's bid for election. He offered to post a "Jim Bernard for County Commissioner" display on the American flag side of his personal use billboard. Petitioner welcomed the offer. Dietrich had a poster made, donated it to the campaign, and displayed it on the billboard during the primary and general election campaign seasons.

Just before the due date for the first pre-election C & E report, petitioner's treasurer spoke with an Elections Division employee about how to report the committee's use of the billboard sign structure as a campaign contribution on the C & E report. Based on that conversation, petitioner determined that it should report the value of the services to compose the poster or sign copy, but that it did not need to report the value of the use of the sign structure itself on the C & E report. Petitioner reported as a contribution the $125 value of the artwork displayed on the billboard, but did not disclose any expenditure or in-kind contribution for the use of the billboard structure.

In response to a formal complaint, the Elections Division investigated petitioner's C & E reports for the 2004 primary and general elections and determined that petitioner's failure to report an in-kind contribution for the fair market value of the use of the billboard structure was a violation of the reporting requirements. The Elections Division notified petitioner that it should file an amended C & E report reflecting the fair market value of the use of the billboard structure. Petitioner refused, explaining that the use of the billboard structure had no fair market value because Dietrich did not use it for commercial purposes and that, in any event, petitioner had followed the advice of an Elections Division employee in making its C & E reports. The Elections Division *323 issued a notice of a proposed civil penalty. After a contested case hearing, the Secretary of State determined that the donated use of the billboard structure was an in-kind contribution that had a fair market value that petitioner should have reported on its C & E reports as a contribution and an expenditure. The Secretary of State's final order assessed a civil penalty of $11,550.

Petitioner seeks judicial review of that order and advances six assignments of error. Before addressing those claims, a review of the legal context of the dispute is in order. We recently examined the campaign contribution reporting requirements in State v. Moyer, 225 Or.App. 81, 200 P.3d 619, rev. allowed, 346 Or. 157, 206 P.3d 191 (2009), and noted:

"ORS 260.055(1) provides that all political candidates and treasurers for political committees must `keep detailed accounts' of contributions received and expenditures made by or on behalf of the candidate or the political committee. At various points during an election cycle, the candidates and political committees are required to file statements of such contributions and expenditures with the appropriate `filing officer.' E.g., ORS 260.058 (statements of candidates and principal campaign committees for elections other than general elections); ORS 260.063 (statements of political committees other than principal campaign committees for elections other than general elections); ORS 260.068 (statements of candidates and principal campaign committees for general elections); ORS 260.073 (statements of political committees other than principal campaign committees for general elections); ORS 260.076 (statements of legislative officials or candidates for legislative office).
"Any contribution from a person or campaign committee `that contributed an aggregate amount of more than $50' must be listed in the statement individually, along with the contributor's name, address, and occupation. ORS 260.083(1)(a). `The statement may list as a single item the total amount of other contributions, but shall specify how those contributions were obtained.' Id.
"The filing officer is required to review the statements of contributions and expenditures and notify candidates or committees who have failed to file statements as required or who have failed to file statements that comply with all statutory requirements. ORS 260.205; ORS 260.215.

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Bluebook (online)
211 P.3d 321, 229 Or. App. 419, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/bernard-for-comr-v-elections-div-orctapp-2009.