Williams-Farmer Ticket Accused Of Violating Election Finance Law

The David Williams-Richie Farmer gubernatorial slate, announced two weeks ago, is already being accused of violating Kentucky campaign finance laws.Former Jefferson County Teacher’s Association Director Steve Neal believes the Williams-Farmer slate spent money on their campaign before filing a letter of intent with the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance. Neal says Sen. Williams released the results of an internal statewide poll on July 23rd, but a letter of intent wasn’t filed until September 1st, the day the campaign went public.“They put up a website," he says. "They did two or three things that I tried to cite as clear examples of things that they would have had to expend money before they filed their letter.”Neal says Sen. Williams is “breaking the very laws he writes,” and wants the registry to investigate. Williams-Farmer campaign manager Scott Jennings says the complaint is without merit and Neal just has an ax to grind because the Kentucky Senate last year refused to consider Neal’s appointment to the state school board.“You might remember that in 2009, Steve Beshear tried to skirt Kentucky law by appointing Steve Neal to the state board of education, even though he was an employee of the Jefferson County teacher’s union," says Jennings. "The state Senate fortunately saved Mr. Beshear from himself by refusing to confirm Neal and Hell hath no fury, apparently, like a political crony scorned.”