By Pat Bradley
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-995837.mp3
Montpelier, VT – Green Mountain Future has been ordered by the Vermont Superior Court to pay 10-thousand dollars for failing to register with the Secretary of State's office. The PAC, funded through the Democratic Governors' Association, had spent over half-a-million dollars on attack ads during the 2010 elections against then-Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Dubie. Vermont Assistant Attorney General Megan Shafritz.
The court found that Green Mountain Future had also failed to file required disclosure reports and did not properly identify itself on the ads. But the court did not impose a financial penalty for those violations. Megan Shafritz says the Attorney General's office has concerns about the lack of penalties for those remaining violations.
There is also a case against the Republican Governors' Association from the same election in which the court found campaign finance violations, but the penalty phase is pending. The Vermont Democratic Party is not affiliated with any of the committees nor the litigation. Party Executive Director Jesse Bragg.
Middlebury College Professor Emeritus of Political Science Eric Davis believes the after-the-fact penalties will have little impact.
Calls to Green Mountain Future's lawyer and principal were not returned in time for this broadcast.