PENDER COUNTY — A campaign finance complaint filed against Pender County Commissioner Brad George has been dismissed by the North Carolina State Board of Elections.
READ MORE: Pender commissioner accused of campaign finance violations over ad buy in newspaper
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According to a letter sent to George last week by NCSBE campaign finance director Lindsey Wakely, the investigation into the complaint was closed after the NCSBE’s investigation revealed insufficient evidence.
“It’s a relief,” George said on the dismissal Monday.
George was elected to the board of commissioners in December of 2024. The initial complaint against George was filed in May by former school board member and Pender County Republican Party executive committee member Phil Cordeiro.
In his complaint, Cordeiro alleged a range of campaign finance violations against George and The Pender-Topsail Post & Voice newspaper. Chief among them was that the newspaper gave George a discounted rate on political advertising, which Cordeiro claimed was an unreported “in-kind” campaign contribution.
This, he added, violated statutes related to accepting and failing to report a contribution from a business entity — in this case, the Pender Post. Cordeiro further stated George’s political ads should have been labeled as “paid for by Pender Post,” contending the newspaper was a contributor to his campaign.
The complaint also included that George received an improper extension of credit from the newspaper, as he was allowed to pay for his ads after they were published while Cordeiro was required to pay in advance.
Both George and Pender Post and Voice publisher, Andy Pettigrew, strongly denied the allegations at the onset. George said he was unaware of any potential discount on the ad rates, explaining he was operating under the assumption he was being charged the standard rate for his ads.
Pettigrew maintained the pricing difference was due to the size and placement of the ads, not a special discount. George’s ads ran in the body of the paper, which is a less expensive spot than Cordeiro’s requested masthead location, which comes with a higher price.
After the complaint was filed, George said he supplied the NCSBE with his invoices and advertisement pricing guides. Cordeiro’s evidence included his own ad invoices and emails with the Pender-Topsail Post & Voice.
Speaking with Port City Daily last week about the closed complaint, Cordeiro said while he still disagreed on the terms of payment with the paper, he “conceded” George was not guilty of any violations.
However, the advertising complaint was not the only issue Cordeiro had raised with the NCSBE. In September of last year, Cordeiro turned over to NCSBE a complaint about George’s late filing of the 2024 second-quarter finance report. The NCSBE issued a $500 penalty against George, though it has now been waived. The fine is a standard penalty for missing a reporting deadline and is unrelated to the allegations of illegal contributions.
George’s second-quarter finance report was filed 29 days after the submittal deadline. Under state law, a late report for a non-statewide race can result in a fine. George was granted a “good cause waiver,” a process by which the NCSBE can excuse a penalty after a campaign explains the reason for a late filing.
In a letter sent by George to the NCSBE in May, he attributed the delay to confusion about the filing process. As a first-time candidate for commissioner, George said the campaign finance process was “challenging” and a staff member at the Pender Board of Elections was helping guide him.
However, the process was further complicated by the Pender BOE being in “turmoil” at the time, George said. The staff member eventually left their role at the Pender BOE due to an internal investigation and staff changes, which occurred after the board was the last in the state to report its 2024 primary results. As a result, George’s finance report was left for him to figure out.
An additional factor in the delay was that George, acting as his own treasurer, never received mailed notices from the NCSBE to file finance reports. Based on these circumstances, the NCSBE ultimately waived the late-filing penalty.
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