Erwin Fined for Late Reporting on $5,000 Campaign Contribution

House Representative-elect for District 28 Chris Erwin says a fine by the Georgia Government Transparency and Finance Commission regarding a large campaign contribution from the company he works for was the result of a clerical error.

On June 19th the Commission ruled a campaign donation to the Erwin campaign by the Carroll Daniel Construction Company in Gainesville exceeded the amount allowed under Georgia law for a Primary Election.

On February 7, 2018, Carroll Daniel Construction donated $5,000 to Erwin’s campaign.

The maximum donation amount allowed by Georgia law to a Primary campaign is $2,600.

Donations that exceed that limit must be filed with the Commission along with an Election of Separate Accounting form (COOSA) and the excess donation set aside for a future campaign.

In April, a complaint was filed with the Finance Commission by Ken Payne.

According to their ruling, the Finance Commission found Erwin exceeded the maximum campaign contribution limits by accepting the $5,000 donation from Carroll Daniel Construction prior to the Commission receiving the COOSA form.

Erwin tells WNEG News the late reporting of the COOSA was an error on the part of the third party group he hired to track and report his campaign contributions, but it has now been corrected.

“My group supposedly got that all squared away and re-appropriated the very next day,” Erwin said. “I don’t appreciate a group doing that and making a clerical error, but I also understand human nature and the fact that that can occur, but that’s what it was.”

Erwin said he hired Thompson & Associates to handle his campaign finance reporting to the Commission.

The Finance Commission ordered Erwin to pay a $500 fine and set the extra funds aside for any future campaign he qualifies for.

Erwin said he will put that money towards the November General Election.