New State Rep London Lamar, D-Memphis, who made headlines last fall for calling Tennessee Republicans racist and uneducated, has reportedly gotten leniency from the state’s Registry of Election Finance for filing her disclosures late.
Lamar was originally supposed to pay $8,175 in fines, as registry officials decreed in November, according to The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
Lamar reportedly told registry officials this was her “first rodeo.”
But registry officials reduced her fine to $300, the paper went on to say.
“Lamar cited her inexperience in running for office, adding that her campaign treasurer ‘stopped coming around,’ which led to her disclosures being filed late,” The Commercial Appeal reported.
“Lamar said she did not know about the delayed disclosures or the fines she was facing until she read her name in the newspaper. She vowed to file her future reports on time and noted that she was actively looking for an accountant.”
As The Tennessee Star reported in November, Lamar said on a Facebook livestream that “Tennessee is racist, period.”
On that video, she also complained about a base of people in the state who “don’t believe in sharing their wealth” and “believe you need to work for your own.”
Newsweek, FOX News, The British Daily Mail, CBS News, and The Washington Post, among many others, did their own follow-ups on The Star’s original story.
Registry of Finance officials, meanwhile, also eliminated a $5,000 fine originally imposed against State Rep. Jesse Chism, D-Memphis, The Commercial Appeal reported.
According to the paper, Chism appeared before the registry and asked for forgiveness for failing to file a campaign finance report for more than two months after it was due.
“Chism said the lapse was due to the fact that he was trying to handle his campaign finance filings while being a first-time candidate for office,” The Commercial Appeal reported.
Board members also chose not to impose any fines against State Rep. G.A. Hardaway, D-Memphis, for similar reasons — filing two disclosures late, the paper said.
“Hardaway, who was present for the meeting, said he did not have a good excuse,” according to The Commercial Appeal.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Jesse Chism” by Jesse Chism.
Photo “London Lamar” by London Lamar.
