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Francis fined $1,000
for failing to turn in
financial reports

By Richard Borreca
Star-Bulletin

Republican congressional candidate Russ Francis' failure to turn in a series of campaign-spending reports cost him $1,000, and the Campaign Spending Commission said if he doesn't comply within 30 days, the fine increases to $2,000.

"There was some negligence and some irresponsibility," Commissioner Della Au said at the commission's meeting yesterday.

Francis' problem is that he didn't turn in three accurate campaign-spending reports from his unsuccessful 1998 campaign. Francis initially said that he didn't have anything new to report so he sent in copies of previous reports.

But Bob Watada, commission executive director, said Francis actually held a fund-raiser, was spending money and was personally writing campaign checks.

Francis later said he couldn't find some campaign reports and was having a difficult time recreating his campaign expenses and donations from his bank accounts.

Watada said he became suspicious after Francis turned in a report saying he hadn't raised any money for a period when he was advertising in newspapers that he was holding a fund-raiser.

"We all understand about volunteer campaigns and that you can lose records, but when you feel you are getting your leg pulled and being fed a story we get suspicious," Watada said.

Watada said he sent Francis seven letters and had an equal number of telephone calls with him to discuss his delinquent reports before initiating the investigation that resulted in yesterday s fines.

Francis, however, said there were misunderstandings with the Campaign Spending Commission and that the campaign software that the commission requires candidates to use was faulty.

"The software error caused me to report an incorrect amount for the total unpaid expenses" for the period ending Sept. 4, 1998, Francis said in one response to the commission.

Watada said there was nothing wrong with the software and the missing reports were all after September.

Francis said the commission was asking for specific records that he didn't have, but now was in the process of gathering.

"There have been honest mistakes on both sides," Francis said.

The former NFL player is running for the 2nd Congressional District, representing rural Oahu and the neighbor islands.