Two Vermont citizens have filed a complaint with the state attorney general’s office asking it to investigate independent gubernatorial candidate Anthony Pollina’s campaign for possibly violating state campaign finance law.

Michael Colby of Worcester and Boots Wardinski of Ryegate filed the joint letter with the attorney general today.

Colby, a registered independent, and Wardinsky, a state representative candidate with the Liberty Union Party, described themselves as concerned citizens who care about the political climate and civil justice in Vermont.

“We thought the path that Anthony Pollina was taking on this was a front for the progressivism that he claims to be representing,” Colby said.

Colby said he and Wardinsky kept reading newspaper reports that the attorney general’s office would not launch an investigation until a citizen filed a complaint so that’s what they decided to do.

The current campaign finance law the state is operating under is discriminatory against independents, Colby said, but Pollina should have known the rules before he made the decision to switch from a major party candidate.

“It’s his own sloppiness that is leading to his demise,” Colby said.

“We will look into it,” Assistant Attorney General Mike McShane said. “We have a formal complaint. The possibility is we will take an enforcement action.”

Pollina’s campaign disagrees with state officials over the interpretation of state campaign finance law.

The attorney general’s office and the secretary of state’s office say he has to return approximately $28,000 in campaign contributions that are above the limit for an independent candidate to accept.

The donations were thrown into doubt when Pollina, who raised the money while a member of the Progressive Party, became an Independent last month.

These are the first complaints filed with the attorney general’s office. McShane could not go into specifics about what could happen to the Pollina campaign if the money is not returned.

Pollina issued a statement Tuesday that said he would not return the money to his supporters who exceeded the $1,000 contribution limit until his campaign is certain state officials have a valid interpretation of the law.

Under state law, candidates running under a party banner can receive donations up to $1,000 per person for each election, possibly raising up to $2,000 total for the primary and the general election. Independents do not participate in a primary and are only allowed to accept $1,000 from individual donors.