Buckley mayor fined nearly $15k over missing campaign forms

Buckley Mayor Beau Burkett has racked up a bill of nearly $15,000 worth in fines.

The fines are mostly related to breaking campaign finance laws, including having late or missing financial disclosures, according to The Tacoma News Tribune. The latest fine was a $1,000 charge filed last week for not reporting personal debt on a 2023 form, with his total amount owed reaching $14,850 in fines.

The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) states that all elected officials must file financial statements to ensure transparency. Candidates running for public office in Washington must file an F-1 Personal Financial Affairs Statement, which documents the candidate’s salary range, the real estate they own, and membership on boards of committees, among other important information.

According to The Tacoma News Tribune, Burkett did not turn in F-1 forms for 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2019. In 2021, while running in the mayoral race, he didn’t turn in his 2020 F-1 or his C-1 candidate registration form. When requested to file the paperwork accordingly, he failed to include and disclose the $13,850 he owed in fines to the PDC.

“Mayor Burkett is one of the approximately 5-10% of people who don’t correct their forms when contacted by PDC staff,” Edwards wrote in an email to The News Tribune. “Despite this, and despite the many thousands of dollars that Mayor Burkett already owes the agency for years of ignoring the law, the PDC still offered to suspend virtually all of today’s penalty if he corrects his F1 report.”

Burkett did not appear at last week’s hearing. KIRO Newsradio has reached out for comment. Burkett’s term as mayor ends December 31, and the fines have been sent to collections.

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