TRUMBULL COUNTY State panel imposes fine on Tsagaris

The commissioner already had returned the money on his own.
By JEFF ORTEGA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- The Ohio Elections Commission has imposed a $400 fine against Trumbull County Commissioner James G. Tsagaris of Warren in connection with allegations that his campaign fund misrepresented contributions and accepted corporate donations.
The commission voted unanimously Thursday to find elections law violations, but reduced the fine proposed by Commission Executive Director Philip C. Richter from $825 -- the amount of corporate contributions accepted by Tsagaris' campaign fund.
Elections Commissioner Catherine Cunningham said she believed a fine was appropriate, but not the amount proposed.
Cunningham said she believes the proposed fine was too steep considering that, according to state records, Tsagaris had first discovered the corporate donations and had returned the money on his own.
The issue
According to a complaint filed by the Trumbull County Board of Elections, Tsagaris' review of his own campaign finance reports from the 2002 pre- and post-primary period turned up the corporate funds.
"From the information given, it seems that contributions to the committee have been misrepresented by the treasurer," the complaint said, noting that constituted a violation of state elections law.
Among the corporations listed in state documents as having contributed to Tsagaris' campaign fund were Specialty Insurance Companies Inc., Richard Boccia Construction, Troika Consultants Inc., Service Guide Inc. and William Zamarelli Inc.
Tsagaris, a second-term county commissioner who first took office in 1999, didn't appear before the elections commission. But in a sworn statement, Tsagaris said he learned of the corporate donations to his campaign fund in January.
" ... upon learning of this matter, I immediately conducted an investigation as to what corporate checks had been deposited and ordered my then-campaign treasurer Patricia Tsagaris to issue checks to said corporations, refunding their contributions," James Tsagaris said in the affidavit.
Patricia Tsagaris is James' wife. William Watson had been Tsagaris' campaign treasurer at the time the corporate donations apparently had been made.
James Tsagaris submitted copies of canceled checks to the elections commission showing his campaign had refunded the corporate money.
The elections commission also found elections law violations against the companies named the Tsagaris complaint, but imposed no sanctions against them.