2 mayoral candidates blow a deadline

THE OLDEST candidate for mayor, T. Milton Street Sr., and the youngest, Doug Oliver, appear to have something in common:

Both seem a wee bit confused about state election-law requirements.

One day after the filing deadline, Street and Oliver yesterday had yet to file state-mandated campaign paperwork.

As a result, Street, 75, and Oliver, 40, face fines.

Under state law, both men were required to file campaign-finance reports with the Philadelphia County Board of Elections by 5 p.m. Monday, according to Tim Dowling, supervisor of elections for the Office of the City Commissioners.

For each day they fail to file, the state can fine Oliver and Street $20 a day for the first six days and $10 a day thereafter, with a maximum penalty of $250, Dowling said.

On Monday, Street's son, Milton Street Jr., who is working behind the scenes on the campaign, had said that his father didn't have to file a campaign-finance report because he hadn't raised any money.

Ah, no.

Because Street had authorized and registered a political-campaign committee, T. Milton Street Sr. for Mayor, back in November, state election code says he had to file a one-page report stating that his campaign raised $250 or less, Dowling said.

Our bad, Street's campaign essentially said yesterday. "We definitely will be filing something on Monday at 11 a.m.," Street Jr. said. That would be a week after the deadline.

Oliver, who recently quit his job as a Philadelphia Gas Works senior vice president to run for mayor, is in the same boat, although his campaign spokesman, Mustafa Rashed, said yesterday that Oliver's political committee, DO2015, met the deadline for filing a campaign-finance report with the County Board of Elections.

"This was done on time and on schedule," Rashed said. "Are you saying they didn't get it? OK, well, that's news to me. I thought that this had all been taken care of."

Actually, Oliver may have bigger worries. Although he has not officially declared his candidacy for mayor - an announcement is scheduled for this Saturday - his name is attached to the DO2015 website as a candidate. That means, by state law's definition, Oliver is in fact a candidate, Dowling said.

"He would have had to have authorized a committee to expend funds to influence his election," Dowling said. "Under state law, he's in violation."

The creation of the website alone would be considered, under state law, a political expenditure or in-kind contribution to influence a campaign, Dowling said.

As of yesterday, Dowling said, Oliver had not filed a campaign-finance report and had failed to authorize and register a political committee, DO2015, with the state. Dowling could refer the matter to the District Attorney's Office for review. Such a violation could result in a misdemeanor charge and a maximum $1,000 fine, according to Pennsylvania's election rules.

"The state law is pretty clear," Dowling said. "I'm just reading what the state statute says."