Editor’s note: Kelly Wicks was not assessed a late fee for not filing the financial disclosure form because officials at the Wood County Board of Elections reported that it is “likely” he was never sent the form. 12/16/16)
By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Kelly Wicks was put on notice that his campaign failed to submit the required financial disclosure statement on time to the Joint Legislative Ethics Committee.
Wicks, the Democratic candidate for Wood County’s state representative seat, may face a fine as a result of the failure to file a timely report.
The Joint Legislative Ethics Committee oversees ethics for members and candidates of the Ohio House and Senate. State law requires independent candidates to file their ethics report with the commission 30 days before an election, so the public has access to candidates’ financial disclosure information prior to casting their vote.
Neglecting to follow state ethics law puts the public at a disadvantage when it comes to learning more about a given candidate, according to the Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee.
“Of all people, Wicks ought to be aware of the state’s ethics laws, having run for the same 3rd District seat four years ago,” said OHROC spokesman Brad Miller. “Failure to submit the financial disclosure statement should give the public pause that Wicks is perhaps trying to hide something from voters.”
Wicks responded Tuesday that the problem occurred because the Wood County Board of Elections did not provide his campaign with the notice that the document was required.
“This is an administrative issue between the Wood County Board of Elections and the Secretary of State,” Wicks stated.
As soon as he got the notice from the ethics commission, the paperwork was filed, he said.
“This is the perfect example of a lot about nothing,” Wicks said.
Wood County Board of Elections Director Terry Burton said he is not certain whether or not the letter was sent out to the Wicks campaign about the filing deadline. So the board will take the same action it has in other cases like this and contact the Secretary of State’s Office to ask that the fine be waived, Burton said.
“We’re going to go ahead and mail out the request, as we’ve done with other candidates over the years,” Burton said Wednesday morning.
The Ohio House Republican Organizational Committee is accusing Wicks of also being dishonest about a past tax lien issued against him for failing to pay his property taxes on time.
According to Miller, in a Sept. 30 Facebook post, Wicks admitted to failing to pay his property tax. But he said that the payment was just “a few dates late.” In reality, it took more than six months. “A few days late” would not have resulted in an official lien being filed against him, Miller said.
“Clearly, Kelly Wicks’ actions and words point to a pattern of deceptive behavior,” Miller said. “We believe the public deserves an explanation from Mr. Wicks about why he broke state law and why he continues to be dishonest with the people of Wood County.”
Wicks fired back about the campaign being run for his Republican opponent, Theresa Gavarone.
“This is the ugliest, nastiest campaign in Wood County history,” he said. “I hope the voters of Wood County see through these kind of Trump-style tactics.”
