Unpaid Print Bill or Dirty Politics?

SNOW HILL, MD—An unpaid printing bill stemming from a failed bid for the Worcester County state's attorney post is now in the court system. Beau Oglesby faces a breach of contract suit for more than $5,700 in printing charges with Berlin, MD-based ACE Printing & Mailing, The Daily Times reported. At question is whether the print work was actually a campaign contribution or a billable job.

In the complaint filed by Thomas Gulyas of ACE, he claims that, in 2006, Oglesby ordered nearly $13,500 worth of letters, envelopes, postage and processing for 22,500 campaign mailers. The balance remaining on the account is $5,746.73, according to the complaint.

Oglesby contends, according to the Times, that Gulyas talked him into hiring ACE for the job and sold him on a larger mailing campaign with the promise that $6,000 in added printing and mailing costs would be viewed as a campaign contribution from Gulyas and his wife. Oglesby told the paper that a year later, Gulyas instead asked to be paid the additional $6,000.

Oglesby, who is running for the same office in November, said he will repay the $6,000 and noted that the lawsuit was politically motivated. Gulyas is publicly endorsing Oglesby's opponent, incumbent Joel Todd, in this year's election. According to the Times, Oglesby lost to Todd by 14 votes in 2006.

"The real issue is: why did he wait four years to file a lawsuit," Oglesby told the Times.

Gulyas noted that he has been "more than patient" in waiting four years to get paid. PI