The Office of the New Mexico Secretary of State has levied penalties of more than $5,000 against the Republican Party of Los Alamos County for failure to file financial reports.

Kenneth Ortiz of the Secretary of State’s Office told the Los Alamos Daily Post that the local party has not filed the required financial reports for the reporting period due last October and those due earlier this month. He explained that New Mexico Campaign Finance Law states that a party failing to file will be ordered to pay the Secretary of State $50 for each regular working day that it fails to file. That totals more than $9,000 to date.

“But we cap it at $5,000 for each reporting period,” Ortiz said. “We also work with these organizations to lower the fee if they contact us to explain the circumstance for their late filings.”

In the case of the Republican Party of Los Alamos, the circumstances go back to last year when longtime party leaders stepped down and a new executive committee took the helm.

“I take full responsibility,” new Chairman Bill McKerley said. “The individuals who served for decades on our executive committee were pooped and they left and we have an entirely new set of members on our committee … that history is gone and we did not realize we were considered a ‘Political Action Committee’ by the state and required to file reports. We actually found out about it on Friday and our new Treasurer Jane Gordon is preparing our reports right now.”

Ortiz said his office sent a number of notices to the RPLA that were returned as undeliverable, leading him to assume the organization had closed down. It turns out that the new committee members weren’t aware of the Party’s P.O. Box so no one checked it or paid its fee.

“First I was shocked that we were considered a PAC by the state and my second shock was that we were being fined $5,000,” McKerley said. “But it’s all been straightened out now and going forward we will submit all of our reports in a timely manner.”

McKerley also is dealing with an issue that has surfaced since his appointment by the Los Alamos County Council to fill the remaining term of former Probate Judge Christine Chandler, which ends Dec. 31. Chandler resigned in February to run for a seat on the County Council. Concern has been expressed by citizens as to whether it is against state law for a judge to hold a leadership position in a political party or conduct fundraising activities for a political party.

McKerley looked into the state statue and found an exemption for appointed and part-time judges, he said. His office hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each Thursday or by appointment, so he is considered part time. Also, he was appointed to the position. He did file March 8 and is running to be elected probate judge.

“The last thing I want to do is anything unethical,” McKerley said. “I am meeting with County Attorney Becky Ehler Thursday to discuss this issue and if she tells me that she feels it is inappropriate for me to serve as judge I will step down immediately … I don’t want to do anything that has even the perception of being wrong or that would reflect badly on the county.”