New Bedford Guide Your Guide to New Bedford and South Coast, MA
The Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) will hold a training seminar on the new depository system for municipal candidates (incumbents and new candidates) on Wednesday, July 22, 2015 at 6:30 PM in the Charles Ashley Meeting Room at New Bedford City Hall, 133 William Street. The New Bedford seminar is one of a series of training seminars OCPF is holding across the state.
The seminar is expected to last approximately one hour and will include review of the disclosure rules for raising and spending money, and the regulations concerning political activity by public employees and in public buildings. It will also include a demonstration of R6, OCPF’s new e-filing and reporting software. Candidates who file paper reports with their local election office can also use R6 to create and print reports.
Beginning in 2015, a candidate for public office is required to organize with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. The training seminar is an opportunity for elected officials, candidates, campaign managers, treasurers or anyone interested in politics to learn about the new requirements of campaign finance disclosure and to ask any questions they may have about record keeping and completing mandated reports. Mike Sullivan, Director of the Office of Campaign and Political Finance and Jason Tait, Director of Communication and Public Education will be on hand to review the rules and regulations of Campaign Finance as required by M.G.L. c 55.
Attendees will learn how to complete required reports, Summary Activity, Schedule A (receipts), Schedule B (expenditures), Schedule C (in-kind), Contributions and Schedule D (Liabilities). OCPF representatives will answer any questions concerning campaign finance, filing requirements and other guidelines. The seminar will cover topics including the role public employees play in a campaign, how ballot question committees work under campaign finance law, prohibition against the use of public resources to support or oppose candidates or questions on the ballot.
This seminar is open to the public and anyone interested can attend. For more information, please contact the City of New Bedford Board of Election Commissioners at (508) 979-1420.
