'Sanctuary city for the unborn' PAC Project Destiny files 30-day finance report late

Brian Bethel, Abilene Reporter-News
·3 min read
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Project Destiny, the political action committee behind the "sanctuary city for the unborn" ordinance push in Abilene, filed a required 30-day campaign finance report late.

Its final report before the Nov. 8, election is due Monday, the city secretary's office confirmed Friday.

The sanctuary city movement, currently being decided by early voters and those who will cast a ballot Election Day, seeks to further ban and criminalize abortion in Abilene.

Scott Beard, one of the group's leaders, said Friday the late report, filed Tuesday with the city secretary's office, was an oversight, and that the required filing Monday would be properly posted.

"We accidentally missed our filing. The filing is correct now," Beard said. "... Looking forward, our filings will be correct and on time."

City Secretary Shawna Atkinson said in an email that the group's 30 day report was due Oct. 10.

"They were late," Atkinson said. "There is not anything that I can do regarding late reports, unfortunately."

The Texas Ethics Commission handles complaints, Atkinson said.

Lesson learned

Beard, pastor of FountainGate Fellowship in Abilene, apologized to those who had financially supported the effort for the error, emphasizing the "outpouring of support has been incredible" for the campaign.

"We think we're going to get a positive result out of this," he said. "We made a mistake, and we certainly apologize for that mistake. ... We're having to learn, and sometimes you learn lessons the hard way."

Beard said the group now was concentrating on getting church congregations out to vote.

"Missing a technical deadline is not life or death − unlike abortion," Beard said.

Scott Beard
Scott Beard

A look at contributions

The PAC's most recent report lists more than $42,000 in political contributions, with more than $46,000 in expenditures.

The report shows $11,550 in contributions from individuals, all in Abilene. Other contributions come from churches, listed as "nonprofits."

Those include $100 from Mosaic Church, $250 from North Park Assembly of God, $1,000 from True Light Global Ministries, $4,459 from Hope Chapel Foursquare Church and $25,000 in support from FountainGate.

Primary expenses are for printing and advertising, with a $31,500 bill for consulting expenses with Mike Stevens in Lubbock.

Stevens is listed co-owner of Action Printing in Lubbock, according to the company's website.

Lubbock recently passed its own version of a "sanctuary city" ordinance.

Church support significant for PAC

Abilene churches have provided the bulk of the PAC's funds throughout its life.

Previous contributors include First Methodist Church, which gave $10,000, according to the PAC's July report and New Hope Church, which gave $10,000 in November 2021 during the initial petition drive that brought the proposed ordinance before the Abilene City Council.

Beard's church has given contributions throughout the PAC's life, including $10,100 during the petition phase, according to the PAC's January report.

No contributions, thus far, have come from sources outside of Taylor County.

Abilene's PAC was created in the image of one that led to voters passing a sanctuary city ordinance in Lubbock in 2021, including the "Project Destiny" name.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Project Destiny PAC files 30 day campaign finance report late