State fines Anchorage Mayor Bronson $33,500 for campaign finance violations

The Alaska Public Offices Commission has fined the campaign of Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson a total of $33,500 for failing to report financial contributions to the campaign on time.

The commission on Friday issued two penalty notices to Bronson, one fine of $18,000 for failing to report a contribution for 36 days, and another fine of $15,500, for not reporting similar contributions for 31 days.

State rules dictate that during the nine days before election day, candidates must disclose contributions that are more than $250 in a 24-hour report. Bronson has 30 days to appeal the fines or to pay them, according to the notices.

The fines are in addition to $52,650 in fines recommended by commission staff against Bronson last month for what staff said are multiple violations of Alaska campaign finance rules. Those recommendations will be considered by the commission during its next meeting on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30 and were made in response to a complaint lodged by mayoral campaign opponent Forrest Dunbar.

In a response to APOC staff’s earlier recommendation, Bronson’s campaign lawyer, Stacey Stone, said that the campaign became aware of the issues when the complaint was filed and then worked to fix them, arguing that any fines should be reduced to a fraction of the recommendation.

She wrote that “at no time was there any intent to obscure or conceal information.”

Stone was away on Monday and unable to comment on the fines issued by APOC on Friday.

In total, Bronson could face $86,150 in penalties from the commission.