Sheriff Candidate Submits Amended Finance Report
JOHNSTON COUNTY – An amended campaign finance report filed this week by Republican sheriff candidate Randy Ackley shows substantially higher fundraising and a positive cash balance, correcting what the campaign says was a draft report mistakenly submitted to state election officials.
The corrected filing covers the period from July 1 through December 31, 2025. It reports $69,030.26 in total receipts, including $55,575 in itemized individual contributions, $726 in small‑donor contributions, and an $8,000 personal loan from Ackley. The campaign began the reporting period with $1,563.49 on hand. The amended report lists $62,077.71 in total expenditures, most of which were operating expenses, and shows the campaign ending the year with a positive balance of $22,081.55.
These figures differ sharply from the original report posted by the State Board of Elections, which showed only $20,455.26 in individual contributions and more than $61,000 in spending. That version appeared to leave the campaign more than $31,000 in the red.
Ackley’s campaign released a statement Thursday saying the discrepancy resulted from an error from their Treasurer to the Johnston County Board of Elections in which a draft version of the report was submitted instead of the finalized filing.
Campaign treasurer Melissa Van of Apex said in a written letter to The Johnston County Report that the negative balance shown online “does not accurately represent the campaign’s true financial position.” She said several cash deposits were missing from the draft report and that the State Board is working with the campaign to correct the posted records.
Van said the amended report was resubmitted on February 23 and that internal records and bank documentation confirm the campaign has maintained a positive balance. “We take full responsibility for managing this reconciliation process and for ensuring that all campaign filings are accurate, complete, and properly categorized,” Van said in the statement.
The updated filing includes contributions from dozens of donors and businesses across Johnston County and surrounding areas. They updated contributions include $8,065 from Mr. Ackley’s wife, Jamie Ackley; $5,000 from Rebecca Flowers of Clayton; $5,000 from Johnny Edwards of Clayton; and $4,440 from Steven Scherbekow of Selma.
The largest expenditure went to Cumulus in Raleigh for $31,056.40 for consulting services.
The revised totals narrow the financial gap between Ackley and incumbent Sheriff Steve Bizzell, who reported more than $94,000 in contributions and more than $90,000 cash on hand at the end of 2025.
Ackley, a former Johnston County sheriff’s detective, is challenging Bizzell in the March 3 Republican primary. No Democrat filed for the November general election, making the GOP primary the decisive contest for the office.
Wow if he can’t even report correct numbers for his OWN campaign, how is he going to manage a Sheriff’s Dept????
That is what everyone else is thinking as well. The ones who seem to think he is being transparent, do not know the real Randy and what he is capabale of!
Apparently you don’t know the real Randy. The Randy I know personally is an honest human.
Ask him about the private message he sent a current employee? Don’t think he’ll be honest with you about that
Wanna bet? I know what the real message said and not what the “doctored up” one looked like. Some people will do anything to “run a good person’s name down.”
Shelby Smith I sure do want to bet! You have zero clue what you are talking about when it comes to this message. He ran his own name in the ground when he sent the private message and then when called out about it him and his wife told their campaign manager that he sent it to make sure this female knew her job was secure and that they are all really close and like family. So before you go to saying you want to bet, I suggest you get your facts straight with your friend.
Uhm…who’s Shelby smith? Not me…sorry…and don’t worry…I know the real facts.
Im honestly just curious, if Mr. Ackley has nothing to idea behind this “message” why hasn’t he released anything about it like he did the captain finances? I’m truly just trying to determine what’s true and what’s not when it comes to both campaigns. Why would someone say he sent a “safewood” message and then someone else say he didn’t or the message was made up. It seems he came clean about finances, why not this message since it seems to be topics of conversations throughout this forum and Facebook.
Seems like you already know the answer as to why he won’t address is. The only people denying it are his close friends/family who don’t want to believe it. His campaign manager apparently knows the truth. It’s pretty obvious when you delete your account right after it comes to light…
Ok, at least that’s cleared up. But I have a question. Who is this guy? Treasurer ART GOUDEY JR 30 RIDERS COURT, FRANKLINTON, NC 27525. Because he’s the treasurer listed on the NCSBE report, but Treasurer Melissa Van is quoted in the new story and now handling the money? 🤔
So what?
@Curious Minds, you are the ignorant one to even say that! He wasn’t the one to report it incorrectly to start off with. You must can’t read…..it was an error from their Treasurer! Think before you speak!
It’s HIS campaign, HIS name, HIS credibility at stake. The buck stops with him. HE should be reviewing everything prior to submission. No different if he were to be elected as sheriff. Not a good look for him!
Interesting report.
Ill be sticking with Sheriff B.
Randy Ackley is a democrat running as a republican. Just look who he has surrounded himself with.
He found 50K???? Ok … doesn’t look good
He should’ve just left this alone and allowed people to scrutinize him for mismanagement of funds.
He has done far worse now. Denying accountability, lack of attention to detail, Magically coming up with $55,000 in small cash donations to make his account go from -30,000 to +22,000 Overnight. Does anyone really believe that he won’t look over? What is Submitted to the NCBOE? He is either very lazy or just incompetent.
I don’t know if people are that stupid or in denial or just believe everything that comes out of his in-laws mouths. They are Somehow twisting this as transparency and accountability when it’s really just getting caught and trying to cover your tracks. It sounds like the same way he worked as a deputy missing details, lack of accountability and others having to step up and cover for him.
You have no idea what kind of man he is. I have known him for years and I can say he is an honest man. He’s also a human and incase you’ve never made a mistake in your life then I would say don’t throw stones.
The biggest mistake our county will make is if he is elected into office! Period!
That’s interesting u known him for years. I seen people post screenshots of his inappropriate texts to females talking about “safeword’ that’s nasty in my opinion but to each is own
And I’ve seen the original message and not that doctored up one that a middle schooler could tell was fake
Oh I would LOVE to see the “original” message he sent! We have seen the original, I’m guessing the photo he showed you is the “doctored up” one! If it was such an innocent message, why did he delete his FB immediately after it came out??
Again, you’ve seen the one he wants to show you not the real one. Why don’t you call his campaign manager and ask what they said to him about it? Because he’s lying to ALL of you! I can promise you what was sent was inappropriate, not made up and not something ANYONE should dismiss, especially another female like yourself
That female actually works at the sheriffs office from what we’ve been told.
At the end of the day, a campaign reflects its candidate. If he didn’t take the time to review his own financial filings before signing and submitting them, that isn’t a “treasurer issue” it’s a failure of leadership. You can’t claim the wins when everything looks polished and then shift the blame when problems surface. Accountability doesn’t work that way.
ALERT CONSPIRACY THEORY To Follow: This all seems too weird, and too easily explained Hmm? Why does this Ackley dude have Democratic consultants- “Cumulus” even running his campaign? Sounds like “Cumulus” might be doing Ackley no big favors, hmm…. And just maybe it’s that is the real reason for this hmmm “mistake” I mean is Ackley so stupid as to not have seen someone might be trying to screw him? Not that I care, cause I didn’t care for his FOIA stunts, but then again… “Cumulus” may have led “good old boy” to do this bidding for them- so they can get all this info to screw with the County, or Sheriff B?? Not to mention taking their monthly check! Just my scenario .. Stupid is, as…..
maybe if you weren’t so busy making record requests to attempt to find dirt on the sheriff, you’d have time to accurately tend to your own finances.
This is not leadership or transparency. This is damage control and very suspicious. Who is running this campaign, the democratic strategist in Raleigh, the admitted democrat turned independent (we have heard more from him than Mr. Ackley), or the new campaign treasurer in Apex?
A friend of Mr. Ackley’s made a comment to me when he announced he was running that “he is in over his head” and I believe it.
This is very true but he can only be in over his head if he was the run actually running his campaign. Reality is his wife and her parents are the ones running his campaign for him all while trying to play the poor pitiful me card. As it’s been stated by his wife that if he doesn’t win, he will never step foot in the sheriff’s office again and they will move to key west….hopefully come Tuesday evening, they will have their bags packed heading towards the keys.
Oh!! You gotta be kidding- Key West???? What self respecting true CONSERVATIVE moves to Key West?? Ha that’s laughable! Hope they like handsome dudes and kittens
Wow y’all seem a little angry in this comment section 😬🥴
Ohhh NCHP paying like that now? donating $4K like raises are optional. Wild!
I guess the trooper friends/donors turn a blind eye to the window tint on the
“NEG 10-61” vehicle…
Vote. And Proudly Show Your ID 🇺🇸