On his third try, County District Attorney-elect Neal Gunnarson finally got the hang of how to file a complete accounting of his campaign finances.
Late Friday Gunnarson gave County Clerk Sherrie Swensen a second amended report that includes $10,000 in expenses left off early financial statements. Most of the money paid for busboard, newspaper and radio ads during Gunnarson's successful bid to be the county's first district attorney.Gunnarson met with Swensen Friday morning to go over discrepancies in reports he'd filed previously. The reports omitted - inadvertently, Gunnarson said - thousands of dollars he'd spent on advertising during his campaign.
Just before closing time Friday Gunnarson gave Swensen statements with the missing information.
"We're satisfied that everything's now been reported," Swen-sen said.
The amended reports Gunnar-son filed Dec. 21 showed he spent a total of $19,315 on his campaign. The report Swensen received Friday shows approximate total expenditures of $29,955.
The new statement shows Gun-nar-son received approximately $14,973 in individual donations. He previously listed $11,722 in donations. Gunnarson lent his campaign the remaining $15,000.
Gunnarson told the Deseret News his accounts got off track when he lost a campaign checkbook during the election.
"I thought I supplied everything they asked for and I did it in good faith," Gunnarson said. "There was never a question of honesty, it was just a question of bookkeeping."
The lost checkbook resulted in expenses for busboard and newspaper ads being inadvertently left off both an initial report filed Dec. 13 and an amended report filed Dec. 21, Gunnarson said.
Gunnarson said he is the only candidate in the county's history to make such a complete accounting of his campaign finances. He supplied Swensen on Friday with bank statements, ledgers and receipts to back his explanation of his accounts.
"I have gotten verification of every penny," he said. "The best part is it's all straightened out. I'm sure it won't happen again."
Gunnarson said the scrutiny of his reports is "totally political. It's David Yocom's last breath and last cheap shot at me before I take office."
Gunnarson, a Republican, beat Yocom, who is currently the Salt Lake County attorney and a Democrat, in November to fill the new district attorney position.
Swensen reviewed Gunnarson's financial reports after receiving a written complaint from Utah Democratic Party Chairman David Jones. Jones charged Gunnarson with failing to report radio and newspaper ads on his financial reports.
After reviewing the first report Gunnarson filed after the election, Swensen agreed Gunnarson had not accounted for some advertising expenses.