WALDPORT – The Oregon Secretary of State’s Office has fined a Waldport-based political action committee that opposed a local fire levy in 2025 because it failed to register properly with the state and post its contributions and spending to a statewide campaign finance system.
The $250 fine is against Put Out The Fires PAC headed by Told Holt and Jamie L. Harmon. Holt was recalled from the Central Oregon Coast Fire & Rescue board in 2022 and since then, with Harmon, has been a vocal opponent of district operations.
The fines stem from a statement in the May 2025 Lincoln County voters pamphlet by Holt, who said he was representing Put Out The Fires PAC. The fire district was seeking a new five-year operating levy, which passed 640-526.
The state received a request for an investigation claiming Holt failed to register the political action committee before publishing the voters pamphlet statement and had not filed contributions and expenditures for it.
In a Jan. 14 letter levying the fine, the Secretary of State’s Office said Holt registered the committee on April 24, 2025, after he received notice of the state’s investigation. It also said cash and in-kind contributions and expenditures were not reported until August, and not within the 30 days after they were received.
