Innes’ filings show $550 in donations

Campaign largely self-financed; financials appear incomplete

Stuart Innes, candidate in the Republican primary for the District 4 Commissioners seat has spent $6,522 on his campaign, according to 1st quarter campaign finance filings with the Currituck County Board of Elections.

For the period ending Feb 25, 2020 – Innes had recorded just two campaign donations, one of $50 and one for $500, both records on December 15, 2019.

Filings from the Currituck Board of Elections appear to be incomplete in that the paperwork filed does not indicate the source of contributions from Individuals, information such as who made the donations, their residency, OR their occupation.

The disbursements section of the 1st quarter campaign finance filings totals $6,602, include:

• $2,875 for signs and stakes
• $1,380 paid to Horthal, Riley for legal representation
• $830 paid to family for labor and truck rental
• $750 paid to Ambrose Signs for a billboard in Moyock
• $150 for NRA campaign membership
• $144 candidate filing fee
• $35 for Albemarle Houndsmen campaign membership
• $19 for postage and cards

In the quarterly campaign finance report, the disbursements ($6,602 ) are in excess of the donations ( $550 ). This could be because the candidate self-financed the $6,050 difference, or campaign donations were omitted for some reason. Either way, Innes is required to show the source of the $6,050.

The expenditure filing also, does not indicate if the billboard expenditure was for the whole billboard or only half of the billboard.

If the expenditure covers the entire billboard, then Innes would be required to show an in-kind contribution to the campaign of Fred Whiteman, as well as Whiteman showing an in-kind donation from Innes. Neither situation is the case.

If the expenditure only covers half of the billboard, then Whiteman’s campaign filings should show an expenditure for the other half of the billboard, which is not the case.

Also in question is if the fee paid is for the billboard vinyl cover alone, or for the cover and rental of the billboard – which is on the property of Scot-Store, a local company owned by Innes’ father, Brian Innes.

Noted in expenditures is $1,380 paid for legal representation. In early February, a Moyock resident filed an “election protest” and a “voter challenge” against Innes. Innes has retained L. Phillip Hornthal, III as legal representation in the two filings.

District 4 Incumbent, Paul Beaumont’s Campaign filings