BY PATRICK CROWLEY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
FORT MITCHELL -- Republican Party activist Paula Miller has formally denied charges that she laundered campaign money or violated any other election laws during Sen. Jack Westwood's 1996 campaign.
Covington attorney John Fortner, vice chairman of the Kenton County Democratic Executive Committee, alleged in a complaint filed last month with the state that Mrs. Miller of Fort Mitchell illegally laundered money through the state Republican Party into Mr. Westwood's campaign and failed to report a series of campaign expenses.
Mrs. Miller was the campaign treasurer for Mr. Westwood, who defeated incumbent Joe Meyer, a Covington Democrat, in a hotly contested 1996 Senate race.
Mrs. Miller's attorney, Eric Deters of Crestview Hills, has asked the Kentucky Registry of Election Finance to dismiss Mr. Fortner's complaint, which Mr. Deters said is baseless and politically motivated.
"The connotations of the word "laundering' money will always be in the public's mind related to a mob, Mafia or drug-related offense," Mr. Deters said in his formal response to the charges, a copy of which he forwarded to The Enquirer.
"For (Mrs. Miller) to be maliciously, baselessly and wrongfully accused of laundering anything other than her family's clothes is unjustified," Mr. Deters said.
Mr. Deters also claims the complaint was politically motivated and filed to distract Mrs. Miller, who is now working on Republican State Sen. Gex "Jay" Williams' campaign for Congress. Mr. Meyer and Mr. Williams were adversaries in the General Assembly.
Mr. Fortner has denied any political motives and said he filed the complaint as a friend of Mr. Meyer's and not as a Democratic Party official.
"I'm close to Joe (Meyer) and supported him, and I felt strongly about this and about what went on in that campaign," Mr. Fortner said after filing the complaint.
The charges could result in a fine of up to $5,000, as well as civil or criminal penalties if Mrs. Miller is found to have violated state election laws.
Here is a closer look at the allegations made by Mr. Fortner and Mr. Deters' response on behalf of Mrs. Miller:
That Mrs. Miller actually paid for a direct mail piece of campaign material the Republican Party of Kentucky claimed to have funded. Individuals are only allowed to give $1,000 to candidates, but just days before the 1996 election Mrs. Miller contributed $2,650 to the state party, Mr. Fortner alleged in the complaint.
But Mrs. Miller gave her money to a Republican Party fund called "Victory '96," and the contribution was made so she could co-host a Northern Kentucky fund-raiser attended by Jack Kemp, the GOP's vice-presidential candidate in 1996.
"There is no evidence or allegation Victory '96 paid for the mailer," Mr. Deters said.
That Mrs. Miller failed to report as campaign expenses phone banks that were operated out of her Fort Mitchell home, using her home as campaign headquarters and providing Mr. Westwood campaign mailing lists.
According to Mr. Deters, the phone banks were reported on campaign finance reports filed with the state and the phones were disconnected after the May 1996 primary.
