ATLANTA — The Secretary of State’s office confirms its receipt of a formal request to investigate whether a state office candidate should be disqualified from the ballot based on tax liens.
The request comes days after Channel 2 Action News and its investigative partners at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on State Rep. Brad Raffensperger's unpaid taxes recorded in Mississippi and Georgia.
Raffensperger is headed into the July 24th Republican runoff for secretary of state against Alpharetta Mayor David Belle Isle.
The report detailed more than $130,000 worth of federal and local taxes owed in connection to Raffensperger’s business interests and personal property, which the representative said he has addressed this week.
“At the end of the day, what people need to understand is I run a complex organization with over 150 employees, with manufacturing facilities in Columbus and Forsyth County,” Raffensperger said.
“We pay over $1 million in taxes a year and if there's some of that we missed 10 or 20 years ago, then we were happy to take care it and we have.”
The investigation request, signed by “Voter,” alleges Raffensperger lied on a disclosure he signed ahead of running for office, promising no knowledge of tax liability. It points towards Raffensperger’s reported history of tax liens, going back to his 2015 run for the state legislature.
“Mr. Raffensperger had knowledge of allegations relating to tax liens in 2015 and still signed an affidavit in 2018 stating that he was not a defaulter,” the letter reads. “By his own account in the July 2, 2018 news stories, Mr. Raffensperger says he did not even begin to investigate the liens until after contacted by WSB and the AJC. That account strains credulity.”
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“Based on publicly available records and the history of these liens being raised in prior elections, it appears extremely likely that Mr. Raffensperger lied on his affidavit saying that he was not a defaulter of taxes,” it continues. “In addition, the fact that Mr. Raffensperger still owes these taxes means he is unqualified to stand for election as Secretary of State.”
Georgia state law requires outstanding taxes to be paid prior to one holding office, indicating Raffensperger’s latest tax defaults were not on anyone’s radar when he won his current seat in 2015.
“I think this is part of the silly seasons of campaigns when the opponent’s side that they’re not winning,” Raffensperger said Thursday. “We’re more than happy to take a look at anything that people bring up, take a look at it, address it and then win.”
Carr took the request and previous reports to Georgia Ethics Watchdog’s William Perry for review.
“I really think this is a waste of time for the secretary of state’s office, to be honest,” Perry said. “It’s not a significant amount of money. The candidate does seem to have a reasonable explanation about them. It’s just not a huge concern to me.”
Belle Isle has not publicly addressed his opponent’s finances. It’s unclear how long it will take the secretary of state office to review the request and make a decision on whether to investigate the claims.
Cox Media Group
