FILLMORE : Ex-Planner Is Fined $2,000 for Late Filing

A former Fillmore planning commissioner was fined $2,000 this week by the state Fair Political Practices Commission for filing her 1990 economic-disclosure statement more than 14 months late.

Cecelia Corl, who left the commission in June, said the fine was unfair and that she cannot pay it because she’s bankrupt.

“They can try to collect, but I have no assets, no interest accounts and no money,” she said.

Jeanette Turvill, a spokeswoman for the state commission, said, “She can’t use her bankruptcy to hide from the fine. We can wait.”

Corl admitted missing deadlines, but said she was preoccupied with the affairs of her failing family machine-shop business at the time.

“I admit I made a mistake by not filing in a timely manner, but at the time, that was the least of my worries,” she said. “I was busy trying to save a 60-year-old business from going under.”

The FPPC statements are used to ensure that public officials list their economic interests in companies they may regulate to avoid any conflicts of interests, Turvill said.

“There was no conflict of interest in this case,” Turvill said. “She just failed to report. This was not a high priority for her.”

Turvill said that Corl was repeatedly sent notices that she missed deadlines. After missing her final deadline, a $10-per-day fine was assessed until it reached the $2,000 maximum. Corl said she never knew that there was a potential she would pay a $2,000 fine, but Turvill said that ignorance was not a defense in this case. She said the forms clearly outline the obligations to file the forms on time.

While the state levied $1.8 million in fines in 1993, most public officials file on time.

“We still have 98% of the public officials completing the forms” on time, Turvill said.