Candidate admits mistake, pays fine

In between getting married and going on his honeymoon, Tony Albensi, Republican candidate for the Oakland County Board of Commissioners, failed to file the paperwork to register his candidate committee.
‘It’s my fault and I take full responsibility for not filing the committee within the 20-day deadline,? said Albensi, who currently serves on the Oxford Village Council. ‘When it was brought to my attention, I immediately filed and I paid the fine.?
Last week, the Leader received a phone call from one of Albensi’s six Republican opponents for the District #1 county seat, informing us that he had not filed the necessary paperwork to form his candidate committee.
By law, a candidate committee must be established by the candidate in order to run for state or local office.
Albensi should have filed the ‘statement of organization? for his committee by June 1.
But that didn’t happen.
Albensi indicated he mistakenly believed he had filed the statement of organization when he filed as a candidate with the county on May 10.
‘I actually thought that I had filed it all at once because the gentleman who agreed to be my (campaign) treasurer was with me at the time,? he said.
Following his filing as a candidate, Albensi admitted he got wrapped up in all the details surrounding his May 29 wedding and his honeymoon, which went from May 31 to June 12.
‘I did have a lot going on in my life, but there’s no excuse,? he said. ‘Once I realized my mistake, I corrected it right away.?
Albensi filed his statement of organization on June 24 and paid a fine of $170 ? $10 for each business day past the deadline.
Although he realizes he has no one to blame but himself for the mistake, Albensi is disappointed that one of his opponents tried to make an issue of it.
‘It’s unfortunate that this type of politicking is starting already when I’ve really been focused on running a clean race and doing what’s right for Oakland County and the first district,? he said.

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