The complaint stems form a failure to list apparent shared campaign sign expenses between the Paul Babeu campaign and the campaigns of Lando Voyles for county attorney and Cheryl Chase for county supervisor. A copy of the complaint is part of this media release. (Complaint is attached below this article)
Babeu has large 4-foot by 8-foot full color signs with his photo and Voyles placed at multiple roadside locations throughout Pinal County with the banner subhead “Law and Order” on the signs. A smaller version of signs (4-foot by 4-foot) has also been placed with just the names and banners. These constitute a shared campaign expense, yet neither Babeu’s campaign nor Voyles have listed the campaign expenditures or provided any explanation in the required pre-primary election expense reports filed last week.
Similarly, Chase and Babeu share large sign boards.
The paid for by disclaimer on all sets of signs state joint payment by the respective campaigns, but the campaign reports fail to list the expenditure. The signs have been in place since the previous campaign finance reporting period approximately two months ago.
“Babeu is advertising himself with Voyles as a “Law and Order” team, but they seem to be missing the mark in complying with the campaign finance laws,” said veteran Sheriff’s commander and Sheriff’s candidate Jack McClaren.
“Babeu is trying to run a slate of candidates under his banner for county offices and dominate it. What is amazing is Babeu continually blows his budget allocation and has been shown to be operating one of the most expensive Sheriff’s offices in Arizona not warranted by the crime rate. Now he wants to put people in office who vote on his budget or have legal opinion over it. That’s not good conservative politics, that is outright treating Pinal County like it was third world nation,” McClaren said.
“People expect the Sheriff to be someone to be looked up to – they don’t expect the Sheriff to have the conduct of a New York congressman who is cavalier with the people’s check book,” McClaren said.
