By Mary Jo Pitzl, The Republic | azcentral.com
Rooftop-solar proponents are asking the Arizona secretary of state to investigate who was behind an apparently well-funded effort to thwart their initiative drive and cite them for failing to follow campaign-finance laws.
In a complaint filed with the secretary’s office, the Yes on Solar committee says the opponents should have registered as a political committee and filed the required spending reports.
And although the complaint asks for an investigation into “the as-yet unidentified parties responsible for the coordinated opposition,” it provides evidence that involves Sign Here Petitions, a petition-circulation company, and Summit Consulting Group.
Both of those groups were involved in an agreement that hired petition circulators for three unspecified statewide petitions but barred them from working for the initiative drive pushed by Yes on Solar. The contract stated the circulators would work at the direction of the petition firm and Summit, according to documents accompanying the complaint.
