Campaign finance officials show leniency to Memphis Democrats after disclosures filed late

NASHVILLE — Campaign finance officials showed leniency to two freshmen lawmakers Wednesday, opting to eliminate a recently imposed fine against one and significantly reducing the penalty another faced.

The Registry of Election Finance opted to eliminate a $5,000 fine it imposed in November against Rep. Jesse Chism, after the Memphis Democrat appeared in front of the panel and asked for forgiveness.

Chism failed to file a campaign finance report for more than two months after it was due, resulting in the initial fine.

On Wednesday, Chism said the lapse was due to the fact that he was trying to handle his campaign finance filings while being a first-time candidate for office.

Read more: https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/09/london-lamar-jesse-chism-campaign-finance-fines-eliminated-reduced/2525719002/