Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 9, 1995 TAG: 9508090052
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RON BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DALEVILLE LENGTH: Medium
But one thing remains undisputed: Fliers and tickets for Saturday's Daleville Bluegrass Festival don't mention that Kelly's campaign will receive its profits.
Kelly, the Democratic incumbent, said ticket buyers should have been well aware that festival profits would go to his campaign.
Deputies, family members and even other constitutional officers who have been selling the tickets were telling customers that it was a fund-raising event, he said.
"It's not been a secret," Kelly said. "I can't imagine anyone getting upset by it."
Scott Beard, Kelly's independent challenger, says he's not getting too excited.
"I'm not jumping up and down and screaming about it," he said. "But, after all, I didn't buy any tickets."
Beard said he did receive a complaint from a voter in Blue Ridge who said he wouldn't have bought a ticket, which cost $10 in advance, if he had known the concert would support Kelly.
"It's questionable to me," Beard said. "It's a tad misleading. I'm not a professional campaigner. I'm sure the sheriff is aware of all the rules and regulations."
Kelly said not disclosing on the fliers and tickets that the concert was a political fund-raiser violated no state law.
That's true, said Bruce Meadows, secretary of the state Board of Elections, adding that he would have recommended disclosure of the event as a fund-raiser on the fliers and tickets.
"The state board urges full disclosure," Meadows said.
But even the promoter, Herschel Sizemore - who also will perform in one of the bands Saturday - was caught off-guard last week when a caller asked who was going to benefit from the concert.
"I told them that it's not going to be a political rally; it's just a bluegrass show," Sizemore remembered saying.
Then he called Kelly's father-in-law, W.E. Dunbar, who had first approached him about putting together the show at the football field at Lord Botetourt High School.
"I'm not trying to pull anything on anybody," Sizemore said. "I just thought he was putting on a show."
After questioning Dunbar a little further, Sizemore learned where the profits were headed.
"He didn't make any secret about it," Sizemore said. "He said he was going to donate the profits to Kelly's campaign."
But by then the tickets and fliers, with no mention of Kelly's involvement, already had been in circulation for a couple of weeks. Kelly said he would give refunds if people were upset with their ticket purchase.
The sheriff, who is serving his first term, said questions are being raised for political reasons by Beard's supporters.
"When they have no issues, I'm not surprised that they are making up issues," Kelly said, adding that his campaign signs have been torn down or had Beard bumper stickers attached.
Kelly termed the disclosure issue "ridiculous."
"Of all the things that can be raised as an issue, I am surprised that this is it," he said.
Kelly said the proceeds his campaign receives from the concert will be documented as required by law.
"There have been a lot of distortions and outright lies told in the community about my work record," Kelly said. "The public ought to be careful what they buy into."
by CNB