Complaints continue in affirmative action petition campaigns (PAYBACKS!!!!!!!!!)

AP ^ | 6-9-05

[Dan from Michigan]

Complaints continue in affirmative action petition campaigns
6/9/2005, 8:16 p.m. ET
The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The group behind an anti-affirmative action ballot proposal said Thursday it is filing a campaign finance complaint against one of its political opponents.

The Michigan Civil Rights Initiative complaint says the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights and Fight for Equality by Any Means Necessary (BAMN) intentionally underreported its campaign contributions.

That allowed BAMN to avoid a trigger that would require it to open up its donor and expenditure records, according to the complaint, which MCRI spokesman Chetly Zarko said he faxed to the Michigan Secretary of State's office Thursday afternoon.

The filing turns the tables on BAMN, which earlier filed a complaint against the civil rights initiative. The Secretary of State this week dismissed the BAMN complaint, which accused the initiative of money laundering and other campaign finance violations.

The anti-affirmative action group is asking that BAMN and its lawyers be penalized for filing a frivolous complaint. The new complaint also accuses BAMN of its own campaign violations.

"They filed a complaint against us, and that prompted us to look at their campaign finance reports," Zarko said.

Zarko's letter to state elections officials said his organization regretted "the significant waste of public resources BAMN's frivolous and politically motivated complaint has generated."

A message seeking comment was left with BAMN Thursday afternoon.

The proposed ballot initiative would stop public agencies and universities from granting preferential treatment based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin or sex. It targets the November 2006 ballot.