By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
A candidate for Lincoln County commission touting his education and business experience failed to register his campaign with the Oregon Elections Division for five months until Thursday and has not reported contributions or spending over $3,500 as required.
Carter McEntee of Newport filed last October for Position 1 on the board of commissioners. But until Thursday, a day after an inquiry by YachatsNews, his campaign had not registered with the state. His campaign had not filed required financial reports by the end of the day Thursday, but did file notice Thursday that it did not expect to receive or spend more than $3,500 this year.
“It was an oversight,” McEntee told YachatsNews on Thursday. “Humans make mistakes. It’s being fixed. I apologize.”
He said the issue was due to a “clerical error” by his campaign treasurer.
Candidates for county or statewide offices and political action committees in Oregon are required to register their campaigns within three days of plans to receive a contribution or spend any money.
As of 5 p.m. Thursday, McEntee’s campaign had not filed any reports of contributions or any spending, despite widespread campaigning via newspaper ads, lawn signs, mailers and social media. McEntee said his campaign treasurer was putting all that information into Oregon’s online OreStar reporting system.
The four other candidates for Position 1 have registered with the state and three have reported finances. Walter Chuck of Newport said he is self-funding his campaign and is only beginning to report expenditures.
Three of the four people seeking commission Position 3 have registered with the state, but only two have reported their finances.
Mark Watkins of Newport, who is campaigning actively for Position 3, said during a Lincoln County League of Women Voters forum Thursday night he was “not aware” he had to report his own contributions to his campaign or those from 5-6 friends. The fourth Position 3 candidate, Randy Mallette of Otis, has not registered with the state and said Thursday he is not accepting donations and plans to limit spending to $500.
The missteps from McEntee and Watkins drew two comments from others in the race during the League of Women Voters forum.
Casey Miller of Newport, the public information officer for Lincoln County who is running for Position 1, addressed both men specifically and said “it’s important to know where the money is coming from.”
Waldport Mayor Greg Holland, who is also seeking Position 1 and self-funding his campaign, said he was concerned that McEntee “hasn’t listed any expenses. That makes me nervous.”
McEntee replied that “everything is up to date and in order. I think you’ll see that no law has been broken.” But as of Thursday night, no contributions or expenditures had been listed in the state’s reporting system.
There has been at least one complaint filed with the state elections division over McEntee’s failing to register or report.
State election requirements
McEntee is the owner of a restaurant in Salishan and general manager of Mo’s Enterprises, which operates Mo’s Seafood and Chowder restaurants. His campaign advertising touts his master’s degree in business and his restaurant operations and startup experience.
McEntee, 26, is a first-time political candidate, vying with four others for the open Position 1 on the county commission being vacated by Doug Hunt. His mother, Celeste McEntee of Newport, staged an unsuccessful write-in campaign for the county commission in 2020 and is now the only Republican in the May 17 primary for Oregon House District 10.
A local or statewide political candidate is required to register with the state if they plan to spend more than $750 on their campaign. If a candidate plans to spend more than $750 but less than $3,500, they can apply for a waiver that allows them to a file a single contribution and expenditure report after the election. McEntee’s campaign did that Thursday, although he told the forum his treasurer was working on listing contributions and expenditures.
Once a candidate receives money from anyone — including themselves — or spends money, Oregon election law requires they be reported at increasingly shorter intervals. As of Tuesday, financial transactions are required to be filed via a state electronic reporting system within seven days from when they occur.
The Oregon Secretary of State’s elections division has a whole website with written and visual tutorials devoted to helping candidates through the various filing and reporting requirements. Elections officials — both locally and in Salem — are also available to help candidates. There are also specialized firms that serve as campaign treasurers and file the required reports with the state.
The elections division confirmed it received a complaint Tuesday over McEntee’s failure to register and report, a copy of which was sent to YachatsNews. The complaint outlined McEntee’s potential expenditures based on his advertising and mailers and indicated he may have already spent more than $10,000.
Once it receives a complaint, the state sends the candidate a simple notice followed days later by more specific questions.
The fine for not filing a campaign committee with the Elections Division is $250. For not filing contribution and expenditure reports, the state can levy a series of fines ranging from 0.5 percent to 10 percent that increase daily.
- Quinton Smith, a longtime Oregon journalist, is the founder and editor of YachatsNews.com and can be reached at YachatsNews@gmail.com