Editor’s note: This story has been updated with comment from David Chastain’s campaign.
Cobb County Board of Education candidate Catherine Pozniak accused her opponent, incumbent David Chastain, of violating campaign finance laws in a complaint to state officials.
The complaint, filed this week with the Georgia Campaign Finance Commission, alleges that Chastain accepted contributions that exceed the limit for school board campaigns. It also alleges Chastain is using two unregistered committees to collect donations.
Because the complaint was filed within 30 days of an election, the commission will not investigate the allegations until after the results are certified, according to a letter from commission staff notifying Chastain of the complaint.
A news release from Chastain’s campaign called the complaint “baseless and politics at its worst.”
Chastain, a Republican, is the current school board chair. Pozniak is his Democratic challenger for the Post 4 seat, covering the northeast corner of the county.
Chastain’s most recent financial disclosure initially reported two general election donations that exceed the state’s $3,000 maximum contribution limit. An amendment to the disclosure split the larger contributions into smaller sums to both the primary and general elections. Each of the contributions is dated in August. The primary was in May.
“Even after the primary is over, you can still split the donations” from an individual, Chastain told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in a brief interview last week, before Pozniak filed the complaint. “It gets confusing because every election cycle, it seems the state does something different.”
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Credit: Photo contributed by the candidate
Pozniak’s complaint states that Chastain did not register his intent to collect donations in both the primary and general election, which is a violation of state law. The complaint also states Chastain is using two campaign committees that are not registered with the state to collect contributions. Candidates can only operate one campaign committee per state law.
“As a five-time candidate for public office, David Chastain is well aware of the rules of Georgia’s Campaign Finance Act,” Pozniak stated in a news release. “David Chastain’s disregard for campaign finance laws raises serious questions about his leadership and conduct as Chairman of the Cobb County Board of Education, which oversees the district’s $1.5 billion budget.”
Chastain’s campaign denied any wrongdoing in a statement.
“Only a frantic candidate would make such groundless and inaccurate claims while ignoring the real facts,” the release said. “David Chastain has only had one campaign and one bank account associated with that campaign, to say anything different is a blatant lie.”
Chastain’s campaign criticized Pozniak for also amending a previous financial disclosure. Pozniak in July submitted an amendment to a May financial disclosure that added a $300 contribution from Emma Bloomberg, who runs a public education advocacy organization in New York.
If Democrats prevail in the race for the Post 4 school board seat, and the one between two newcomers for the Post 2 seat, it would change the board’s balance of power in Georgia’s second-largest school district.
From the Georgia Decides Voter Guide
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