Rep. Jill Chambers' campaign funds frozen by court

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• Jill Chambers

Times are tough all over, but here's a case where timing is a bitch.

Since winning her first election in 2003, Republican Jill Chambers has managed to hang on to her House seat in mid-North DeKalb's increasingly Democratic-leaning District 81 through a combination of her
liberalism on social issues and an aggressive, mud-slinging campaign style.

This year, however, Chambers is in the middle of one of the toughest re-election battles anywhere in Georgia, having been targeted for annihilation by the House Democratic Caucus, which is heavily backing her opponent, Elena Parent. But now a legal oversight by Chambers could manage to do what the Dems have so far been unable to accomplish.

For the past two weeks, Chambers has been unable to gain access to nearly $60,000 in campaign funds she desperately needs in the fight to retain her House seat.

Let's back up a little: Last month, a garnishment action was filed against Chambers by creditors of her ex-husband's business, of which she is listed as a guarantor. Because she had never incorporated her political campaign into a separate entity, those funds were frozen along with Chambers' private bank accounts.

In response, Chambers has filed for personal bankruptcy and tells CL that she expects the federal judge in her case to release her campaign funds any day now.