Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission (AZCCEC) Executive Director Thomas Collins is pressing commissioners to continue withholding public campaign funds from Ralph Heap, the Republican running for Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC), over how the candidate paid for hundreds of campaign signs. Collins alleges Heap failed to properly disclose the financing arrangement and may have taken on debt beyond what his campaign could cover before it qualified for public funding, a possible violation of program rules. Heap's attorney counters that the signs were purchased through a line of credit with Mesa Sign Shop and that the arrangement did not require immediate disclosure.
Heap signed the required affidavit on Aug. 12 and requested release of $147,836 in primary funding. Collins argues the undisclosed credit arrangement crosses into illegal activity under Clean Elections rules, and their ruling could shape the rest of Heap's campaign. If the funding stays frozen, Heap would lose access to nearly $370,000 in general-election support while still facing restrictions on traditional fundraising, unless he's released from the public financing program. AZCCEC has already turned down one request to let him leave the program.
