State Senate candidate Mike Woodard has turned in overdue reports that had prompted his opponent to file a complaint Monday with the state Board of Elections.
Woodard said Tuesday that he was going to Raleigh "to make sure we're straight on the records." Tuesday afternoon, Board of Elections campaign finance specialist Amy Strange confirmed that his forms had been filed.
His original forms had been apparently lost in the mail, Woodard said.
Woodard, in his third term as a Durham City Councilman, is running against Durham attorney Kerry Sutton for the Democratic nomination in state Senate District 22.
On Monday, Sutton asked the state Board to investigate Woodard's missing Statement of Organization, a form candidates are required to submit within 10 days of filing to run for office. Woodard filed on Feb. 15.
George Lawrence, Sutton's campaign chairman, issued a press release about the investigation request.
"Obviously, there's nothing personal about this issue whatsoever," Lawrence said, "but all candidates are required to follow the same laws."
On Tuesday, Sutton's campaign issued a second press release, stating that Woodard had also failed to file a required Statement of Economic Interest with the state Ethics Commission.
Woodard said both forms were in a packet he was given when he filed, and that he had signed and mailed them Feb. 22. Last Friday, he said, he received written notice from the Ethics Commission that his statement was missing; he said he had heard nothing from the Board of Elections about the Statement of Organization.
Strange said notices of missing organization forms would be mailed to candidates this week, and that the elections office had previously attempted to contact someone with Woodard's campaign, without success.
Sutton's first release also stated that Woodard had been late filing a financial report in 2010, the year after his last City Council campaign.
Woodard said he had missed a reporting deadline due to a late meeting, but turned in the report the following day.
