The Fair Campaign Practices for the Capital Region found George Amedore to have violated one principle, while the second charge brought by Angelo Santabarbara was not found to be in violation of their principle.
Santabarbara, a Democrat, is running against Republican incumbent Amedore for the state’s 105th Assembly District and Santabarbara filed a complaint alleging two violations of the Fair Campaign Practice’s principles. The hearing was held on Tuesday, Oct. 19, and the results were released the later the following day. The hearing determined Amedore had violated their second principle, but in a separate allegation he was found to have not violate their fourth principle.
Santabarbara alleged Amedore violated the second principle by calling Santabarbara a lawbreaker in a newspaper report prior and after the Supreme Court’s decision finding Santabarbara not guilty of any fraudulent practices.
`He had no right to call me a lawbreaker and then proceeded to due so even after the State Supreme Court proved him wrong,` said Santabarbara. `He continues to go around slandering my name.`
Amedore said he wasn’t expecting to be found in violation of any the groups campaign principles, but respects the decision.
`It was a little surprising. I have a run a very 100 percent clean campaign,` said Amedore. `There are specific laws that we have to follow as candidates and those rules and laws were breached on behalf of my opponent. I appreciate and respect the fair campaign and the League of Woman Voters and I will continue to follow the rules and principles of fair campaigning.`
Also, Santabarbara alleged Amedore violated the fourth principle by distributing a press release where he was quoted to have a `dissenting opinion of a court of appeals justice,` where he presented a separate case to use as precedent for making a decision in fraud allegations against Santabarbara.
While the hearing found Amedore to not have violated their fourth principle, the committee did note the press release under question was misleading.
`The press release does not misrepresent Mr. Santabarbara and so there is no violation of Principle #4,` said the written decision from the hearing. `However, the panel does find that the press release is misleading, since it uses a wrong standard of law by citing a dissenting opinion as a ‘decision of the court.’`
Amedore said he cited the dissenting opinion of the Supreme Court as a `measuring stick` to help guide in the decision surrounding the lawsuit. He said he didn’t purposely try to mislead voters by using the dissenting opinion.
Santabarbara said Amedore has been making claims about him throughout the election without any evidence.
`He wants to be the judge and jury and decides who is right and wrong and that shows his character,` said Santabarbara. `The pattern is there, every step of that way I have had the truth on my side.`
Amedore said Santabarbara is the one using a negative campaign and he has been using diversions to not talk about the property tax relief voters need.
The panel present at the hearing on Oct. 19 consisted of Michael Foster, Beverly LaBarge, Stephen Muller, Faith Weldon, panel Chair Katherine Henrikson and Coordinator Barbara Thomas.“