Williamson Strong Not A PAC: Judge

FRANKLIN, TN — Parent group Williamson Strong did not function as a political-action committee during the 2014 election cycle and thus is not liable to pay fines for failing to register as such, an administrative law judge ruled this week.

In a 17-page ruling, Administrative Law Judge Michael Begley found that the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance failed to prove that Williamson Strong, which launched in the summer of 2014, was acting as unregistered PAC. The TREF had fined Williamson Strong $5,000 initially, though that fine was eventually lowered to $2,500 after former school board member Susan Curlee filed a complaint.

The judge said that none of Williamson Strong's actions during the 2014 election cycle rose to the level of advocacy for or against a candidate and that it was, essentially, a news organization providing factual information and commentary to the county's parents about a contentious school board election cycle.

“This ruling vindicates these five parents, who acted merely as concerned citizens voicing their opinions on issues of public education, just like other news organizations,” Williamson Strong lawyer Anthony Orlandi told the Franklin Home Page. “The ruling also confirms that Susan Curlee’s inflammatory allegations were baseless and that the Registry of Election Finance should have reached this decision from the outset. It is unfortunate that it required two years of expensive litigation to achieve justice, but our clients are grateful for this outcome.”

Curlee, who has left the school board and no longer lives in Williamson County, did not respond to requests for comment.