The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Campaign finance issue still lingers for councilman

staff photo A.J. Smith

Third injured firefighter remains at burn unit
Updated 20 min. ago
Lebanon Police Officer of year inspired by grandfather
2:21 p.m.
Sheriff to target drug trafficking on highways
11:59 a.m.
Ohio can finally collect $2.3M in fines
10:22 a.m.
Top grads plan challenging careers
10:17 a.m.
> More headlines

By Michael D. Pitman, Staff Writer 7:29 PM Tuesday, January 24, 2012

MIDDLETOWN — Councilman A.J. Smith has paid the income tax he owed the city for the past two years, but he still has to clear up an issue with the Ohio Elections Commission.

An addendum that Smith failed to submit when questions arose about his 2009 campaign finance reports will be filed in the next few days, according to the first-term city councilman.

The delay in filing the addendum was an apparent lack of communication, both Smith and Butler County Board of Elections Director Jocelyn Bucaro said.

“I have requested information I have not received,” Smith said.

A letter was sent to his campaign’s treasurer, who Bucaro said is now out of state, and Smith never received the information.

The issues with Smith’s campaign finance reports, he said, were mostly regarding mislabeling. He said one contribution for $200 was marked as cash donation that should have been a check donation. Campaign finance laws specify local politicians cannot receive a cash donation larger than $100.

Once Smith receives the information and resolves the issue with the county board of elections, Ohio Elections Commission Executive Director Phil Richter said Smith will need to send his office the information.

Richter said those who do not file the required addendum, which is a request made by local boards of election, are fined $25 a day until it’s filed. However, he said it’s more than likely the fine could be reduced to $100.

Smith’s tax issue

In November, Smith was found guilty in Middletown Municipal Court of not paying his city income taxes and given 60 days to comply. Due to privacy issues with personal income tax filings, Middletown Finance Director Russ Carolus would only say “he complied a while back.”

Smith’s back tax issue became public in October when he was ordered to court to say why he didn’t file local income taxes for two years. He was given 60 days to comply or face a $500 fine and/or up to 60 days in jail.

Not filing his local income taxes, Smith said, was “an oversight.” He said he had taken the responsibility of doing his own taxes for 2009 and 2010. In the years prior, as a teenager, his parents had taken care of his filling out his tax paperwork.

He said he was unaware that the local chain of a national tax preparation business did not prepare his local income taxes.

Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2175 or michael.pitman@coxinc.com. Follow at twitter.com/mdpitman.

Share this article