Mike Wolanin | The Republic Columbus mayoral candidate Sean Burton puts out shirts at his election results watch party at the Garage Pub and Grill in Columbus, Ind., Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. Burton ran as an independent against Republican Mayoral candidate Mary Ferdon. Burton lost the election to Ferdon.
The Bartholomew County Election Board has asked a judge to order a former Columbus mayor candidate to pay $2,375 for failing to file a required campaign finance report and reimburse the board for attorney’s fees.
The three-member bipartisan board filed the request in Bartholomew Circuit Court against former mayoral candidate Sean Burton, according to court records. Burton ran as an independent in the 2023 municipal election, losing to Republican nominee Mary Ferdon by a margin of 73% to 27%.
Bartholomew Circuit Court Judge Kelly Benjamin has scheduled a hearing in the case for June 25 at 10 a.m.
Court records state that the board has issued a series of fines against Burton and incurred $1,875 in attorney’s fees. The board has also requested 8% interest to accrue from the date of the court’s judgment until the amount is paid in full.
The board is being represented by Columbus attorney Peter Campbell King, according to court records.
The issue that eventually led to the legal action started earlier this year when Burton allegedly failed to file a required campaign finance report by a state-imposed deadline.
Candidates who have an open campaign finance committee are required under state law to file an annual campaign finance report even if they were not actively running for office that year. The 2024 annual reports were due Jan. 15 at noon.
The last campaign finance report Burton filed was in February 2024, according to county records. His campaign committee, Committee to Elect Sean Burton, reported raising $3,401 during the 2023 mayoral race and having $2.42 in cash on hand as of Dec. 31, 2023.
Public records indicate that county election officials have made several attempts to notify Burton of the delinquent filing and election board hearings regarding the matter.
Bartholomew County Clerk Shari Lentz, who is a member of the election board, declined to comment on the case.
However, Lentz previously described the situation with Burton as entering “uncharted territory.”
“We’ve kind of entered uncharted territory as far as campaign finance is considered,” Lentz said previously.
