Herald News (Passaic County, NJ)
January 23, 2014 Thursday
AE Edition
ZIMMER LACKS A SMOKING GUN
Former federal prosecutors and veteran defense attorneys said this week that the
allegations made by Hoboken's mayor warrant an investigation, but the government will
need to find more than just an attempt at political horse trading to make a criminal case.
Investigators from the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark met with Hoboken Mayor Dawn
Zimmer on Sunday, a day after she accused Governor Christie's administration of tying
Superstorm Sandy grants to a politically connected development proposal.
The Christie administration strongly denies Zimmer's allegation.
But if Zimmer's allegations are true, lawyers who have handled corruption cases around the
country said the government will need to prove Christie or his administration received or
expected to receive some kind of benefit in exchange for pressuring Zimmer for a federal
crime to have occurred.
Attorneys disagreed on how clear-cut that benefit has to be, however. And a Supreme Court
ruling that resulted in many corruption convictions being overturned has made it tougher for
prosecutors to bring corruption cases, some said.
Numerous New Jersey attorneys contacted for this story declined to comment, with some
saying they expected to represent Christie administration officials who are facing subpoenas
from the state Legislature, which is investigating the September closure of Fort Lee access
lanes to the George Washington Bridge.
Zimmer said she wrote in her journal in May about what she considered a threat delivered
by Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno: that Hoboken's applications for Sandy-related funds would be
denied if the mayor blocked a development proposed by The Rockefeller Group. The
developer is represented by a law firm headed by David Samson, a Christie ally and
chairman of the Port Authority, and the developer's lobbyist is a former member of
Christie's Cabinet, Lori Grifa. All have denied any wrongdoing.
On Sunday, Zimmer revealed she had turned her journal over to the U.S. Attorney's Office
in Newark and spent two hours talking with investigators.
Just showing that the developer had strong political connections is not enough to prove a
crime if there's no proof the project would improperly benefit Christie or his administration,
said Patrick Hanly, a defense attorney in California who worked for 15 years as a federal
prosecutor.
"It's ugly, but if it's like, 'You want Sandy money and I want this, let's do a deal,' -- that's
politics," Hanly said. "Somebody has to have a financial interest in the development. The
developer having political juice is not going to do it, that happens all the time. It's not right,
but it happens all the time."
Chicago defense attorney Sam Adam Jr., who represented former Illinois Gov. Rod
Blagojevich in a corruption trial, disagreed with Hanly's assessment.
Adam said aggressive prosecutors do not need an explicit benefit to bring a case, noting
Blagojevich was convicted for asking about a possible Cabinet post in President Obama's
administration during discussions over appointing a successor to Obama in the U.S. Senate.
The attorney assisting in the state Legislature's bridge investigation, Reid Schar, is a former
assistant U.S. attorney who prosecuted Blagojevich.
"It does not have to be explicit any longer," Adam said. "You don't have to have a
conversation where someone says, we'll give you one if you do the other."
Adam said a case could be brought with only a campaign contribution as evidence of a
benefit to Christie.
The Rockefeller Group did not donate directly to Christie's reelection fund or the Republican
Governors Association, which Christie chairs, according to state campaign finance reports
and IRS documents. Two employees of the firm donated a combined $1,500 to Christie's
primary fund, according to state records.
Wolff and Samson, the law firm serving as The Rockefeller Group's lobbyist, contributed
$10,000 to the Republican Governors Association in July 2012, state records show.
Other lawyers said it is difficult to prove cases based on campaign contributions alone, and
that prosecutors will need evidence tying a contribution to an official action.
"It doesn't need to be a lot of money, but you do need there to be a quid pro quo and
evidence of a direct exchange," said Melanie Sloan, a former federal prosecutor who is now
executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Evidence could be a message in which someone promised to put pressure on Zimmer in
exchange for something, or someone said pressure needed to be applied because a
contribution had been received, she said.
"It may not be a violation of the statute if it simply is that Governor Christie thinks this is a
worthy development that should be done," said Solomon Wisenberg, a defense attorney
who once served as deputy special prosecutor in the Whitewater/Lewinsky scandal and took
a deposition from President Bill Clinton.
On his blog, Wisenberg had criticized the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark this month for
saying it would look at the lane closures, but he said Zimmer's allegation is something that
would raise red flags for prosecutors and white collar defense attorneys alike.
"You've got somebody accused of conditioning receipt of federal funds on something other
than whether or not it's valid to get them," he said.
Wisenberg said prosecutors would need more than Zimmer's word and her journal,
however.
"I've seen that between the time she wrote in her diary and this came out, she made proChristie statements. That's a question of proof, and if that's all they have, they've got a real
proof problem," he said.
Nevertheless, there is enough for the government to start digging, he said.
"If I were a prosecutor, I'd subpoena all the emails. Maybe someone sent email somewhere
saying 'I leaned on the mayor.' A lot of Chris Christie's people have been shown to say
stupid things in emails," Wisenberg said.
Knoxville News-Sentinel (Tennessee)
January 23, 2014 Thursday
Former Rep. Tindell returning to Nashville as lobbyist
NASHVILLE — Former state Rep. Harry Tindell returned to the Legislative Plaza this week to
“network and hopefully re-establish myself in a new role” as a lobbyist.
The Knoxville Democrat, who did not seek re-election to his House seat in 2012, was
required by state law to wait a year after leaving the Legislature before becoming a lobbyist.
Tindell’s year of waiting ended in November 2013, by which time most prospective
employers of lobbyists had already signed contracts.
Still, Tindell said, “I think soon we’ll have our first project.”
He declined to identify the prospective client until things have been finalized and
characterized his visiting with former legislative colleagues and staff last (this) week as a
“toe in the water” experience.
Tindell said he is working with Commonwealth Group Partners LLC, founded by Raymon
White, a former Knoxvillian and longtime friend, who has been lobbying and consulting in
other states, especially Georgia. Tennessee Ethics Commission records show White is
registered to represent a Georgia company, Kut Kwick Corp., in Tennessee.
Tindell joins a long list of former legislators who have become lobbyists. He will be the
fourth lobbyist from Knoxville who first served as a state representative. The others are
former Republican Reps. Steve Buttry and Joe May and former Democratic Rep. Bill Nolan.
Ramsey’s Grandson ‘Cancer-free’: Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey says his grandson, 14-month-old
Briggs Goforth, has been battling cancer for the past six months but is now “cancer-free.”
The child is the son of Ramsey’s daughter, Tiffany, and her husband, Dustin Goforth, a
lobbyist with several clients. Ramsey had not commented on the family ordeal until a fiveminute special report aired by WJHL-TV of Johnson City.
“I can’t watch it without crying,” Ramsey said during his weekly meeting with reporters
Thursday.
The youngster was treated through three rounds of chemotherapy at Niswonger Children’s
Hospital in Johnson City, an affiliate of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital of Memphis,
which takes on cases of critically ill children without charge.
Dustin and Tiffany Goforth are now trying to help St. Jude in its fundraising efforts.
Richmond Times Dispatch (Virginia)
January 23, 2014 Thursday
State Edition
House panel expands proposal on ethics reform; Bill would cap gifts from lobbyists
and others who have business with the state
Less than 24 hours after former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, were charged
with violating federal corruption laws, a House panel began molding numerous reform
proposals into one piece of legislation meant to tighten the state's ethics laws.
The House Courts of Justice subcommittee on ethics on Wednesday expanded a proposed
$250 cap per item on gifts from lobbyists to include gifts from others who have business
before the state.
The panel also fine-tuned the definition of "friend," proposing that the gift threshold also
apply when lawmakers receive gifts from lobbyists they have privately known for a long
time.
Del. David B. Albo, R-Fairfax, the committee chairman, called Wednesday's meeting a first
step toward crafting new legislation.
"We are listening to every single delegate about their ideas of what they want to see in an
ethics bill. And then we're going to see which ideas we like and start lawyering it up," Albo
said before the meeting, adding that he expected "hours of excruciating legal mumbojumbo."
Albo said the amendment to House Bill 1211, sponsored by C. Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah,
was "a very big expansion."
The first draft of Gilbert's bill would have banned solicitation and receipt of gifts from
lobbyists. But receiving some gifts from others would still be legal -- and a lot of gifts come
from organizations and corporations that employ lobbyists, not from the lobbyists
themselves.
Anna Scholl, director of the progressive advocacy organization Progress VA, told the
committee the legislation "carves out a very large loophole" and would not have banned a
single gift last year, including gifts from then-Star Scientific CEO Jonnie R. Williams Sr. to
the McDonnells, because Williams is not a lobbyist.
In a news release mailed Wednesday morning, Progress VA slammed Gilbert's bill, calling it
"a sad excuse for ethics reform."
Albo said he appreciated Scholl's comments before the committee. "She's brought up a very
good point," he said.
The panel then agreed to broaden the proposal to include people who employ the lobbyists
and "everybody who has business before the commonwealth and knowingly accepts money
from them."
Gilbert said in an interview after the meeting that he was "very happy" with the change.
"It was an oversight on the part of the drafters, and that's the reason why we have these
meetings," he said.
"I think we showed that (Scholl's) initial reaction did not need to be to attack us. Come to
the process, participate in it. We will listen to your suggestions and work with you," Gilbert
said.
House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, on Wednesday morning
dismissed criticism of pending ethics legislation.
"You have groups saying it doesn't do anything, but I think that's just nonsense," Cox said
in an interview. "If you look at the totality of the proposal, it addresses a lot of issues. It's a
really good package."
Speaker of the House William J. Howell, R-Stafford, called the proposed $250 gift ban "an
arbitrary figure" that he thinks "is fair."
"A lot of people think it should be lower, and a lot of people think it should be higher,"
Howell said, adding that in the process the bill is going to go through now, "everybody will
have a chance to offer amendments."
The committee also crafted a rule that prohibits state officials from accepting gifts worth
more than $250 from lobbyists who are personal friends.
"Regardless of whether you had a friendship with somebody, if they are a lobbyist now and
have business before the state, you are now subject to the rules," Gilbert said.
The panel will reconvene Friday to adopt a substitute for ethics reform legislation that
includes the changes and make it available online.
Next week, the panel is likely to vote to advance the bill to the full House Courts of Justice
Committee.
The Washington Post
January 23, 2014 Thursday
Suburban Edition
Prosecutors must prove McDonnell offered help
Prosecutors laid out a startling corruption case against former Virginia governor Robert F.
McDonnell and his wife, but the government faces a high bar in proving that the couple
committed a crime, legal experts said Wednesday.
To make its case, the government must show beyond a reasonable doubt that McDonnell
(with wife Maureen as co-conspirator) struck a corrupt bargain with a Richmond
businessman who lavished $165,000 in cash and gifts on the McDonnell family. They must
deliver evidence that the former governor agreed to provide his official help to Star
Scientific chief executive Jonnie R. Williams in exchange for his largesse.
"The whole case is going to boil down to proving the quid pro quo," said Randall Eliason, a
George Washington University law professor and an expert on public corruption. "They can't
just show that he got these gifts, but must prove that he received them in exchange for
official acts. The defense is going to say, 'Hey, this is what a Virginia governor is supposed
to do - promote Virginia businesses.' "
Many legal experts said Wednesday that the coming criminal trial is likely to serve as an
important test of the line between political favors and official state action.
The former governor and his wife were charged Tuesday in a 14-count indictment that
alleges that they engaged in conspiracy and fraud to use the governor's office for private
gain. The steady stream of gifts the family received - including $15,000 to cater a wedding
for one of their daughters, a shopping spree at New York designer boutiques, golf greens
fees, vacations and $120,000 in loans - creates a very strong circumstantial case, the
experts said.
"On the side of accepting gifts from a private party while you're in office, they have a
fantastic case," said Andrew McBride, a defense lawyer who used to prosecute fraud and
public corruption in Virginia. "The biggest problem the government has is, what official act
did he take as governor to further the interests of Star Scientific?"
The government does not need to show that Williams's company actually benefited - only
that help was promised. But barely a handful of people would know what was discussed
among Virginia's first family at the time and Williams, and two of them - the McDonnells are charged. They deny committing any crimes.
In the indictment, prosecutors say the former governor hosted a product launch for Star's
dietary supplement, Anatabloc; promoted it at public events; arranged meetings between
Williams and senior state health officials; and worked alongside his wife to push for state
researchers to consider conducting trials of the product.
Nearly all public-corruption prosecutions are uphill battles, because proving an official's
intent is tricky. Even though ex- Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich was caught on tape trying
to sell Barack Obama's Senate seat, the jury deadlocked on most of the charges in his first
trial. In the McDonnells' case, the prosecution faces other challenges, experts say.
First, much of the government's case about a corrupt agreement hinges on the testimony of
Williams, its star witness. Williams was under investigation for possible securities violations
when he decided to cooperate with federal investigators. He obtained immunity in exchange
for his testimony, and defense lawyers have said that when he describes on the stand what
he and the governor discussed in private conversations, they will seek to show that he is not
credible.
"The challenge is, if it comes down to the word of one person, who has real incentive to tell
a story the way the government would like to hear it, jurors are likely to be skeptical and
focused on those motivations," said Andrew Wise, a lawyer who represented a defendant in
the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal.
In addition, Maureen McDonnell comes across in the charging papers as the dominant actor
- a first lady striving to live the high life and requesting more and more help from Williams.
She also was the person most actively pursuing ways the state could promote Williams's
company and get state-funded research for its product, the indictment says.
"The indictment's a little thin" on what the governor did, Eliason said. "It's 75 percent about
Maureen," he added. "They've got to show she's doing this with the promise or agreement
that the governor would take these special steps."
But in their charging papers, prosecutors have hinted at some of their strategies for
overcoming those challenges - and proving the McDonnells's criminal intent.
First, they have charged the couple with crimes suggesting that they worked to conceal
Williams's gifts. The former governor is charged with false statements to bank officials for
allegedly failing to disclose a Williams loan to a federal credit union. The former first lady is
charged with obstructing an investigation by pretending that dresses Williams bought for
her were lent to her by Williams's daughter. Maureen McDonnell returned the dresses with a
note thanking her for the loan - days after she first learned that the FBI was investigating
her relationship with Williams, according to the charges.
"The coverup stuff is in there in part to show evidence of guilty knowledge," Eliason said.
"Why do you do that if you aren't trying to hide some kind of wrongdoing? If it's all on the
up and up, why are you concealing this loan?"
Prosecutors also refer in the indictment to their "stream of value" theory in arguing that the
McDonnells were offering their services in exchange for the financial help from Williams.
By showing that numerous gifts were part of a stream the McDonnells received, the
government avoids the burden of having to prove an agreement between the parties for
each gift.
"This stream-of-value theory allows the government to argue that the public official was
essentially on retainer," Wise said.
Experts said that a wealth of examples can help prosecutors make their case. They can
show a series of official steps the McDonnells took to help Williams, at his request alongside a long stream of gifts and money from him.
"Eventually, you build up enough bricks in that wall that you prove beyond a reasonable
doubt that this was what was going on," Eliason said.
But the law that defines a corrupt agreement is vague, which can present a major problem
for the defense, too, Wise said.
A bribery agreement need not be specific or explicit. It can conceivably be as vague as an
official saying, "I'll take care of you on that," or "Let's look out for one another."
The McDonnells accepted so many big-ticket items it would be hard for prosecutors not to
pursue the case, said Peter Zeidenberg, a defense lawyer who was part of the team that
prosecuted I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, former vice president Dick Cheney's chief of staff.
"When you start talking about a $50,000 loan and paying off the kid's wedding bill, those
certainly make you sit up and pay attention," Zeidenberg said. "I can see why the
government moved on this."
Zeidenberg said prosecutors have brought a "pretty strong case, but it's not a slam-dunk
either way."
"Because of the McDonnell brand, I think some jurors will come with an open mind that this
could have been a misunderstanding, rather than a corrupt plot," he said.
"He doesn't have this persona as a sleazy politician."
Anderson Independent-Mail (South Carolina)
January 22, 2014 Wednesday
Gov. Haley calls for ethics and education reform in State of the State address
COLUMBIA — In her annual State of the State address Wednesday night, Gov. Nikki Haley
called on South Carolina legislators to toughen ethics laws and strengthen the state’s public
schools.
“We know that the ethics laws we have are not good enough,” Haley said. “Send me a
strong ethics reform bill this year and show the people of this state that we, as their elected
representatives, deserve their trust.”
Earlier Wednesday, state senators began debating an ethics bill. Besides requiring
lawmakers to report their income sources, the measure would create an independent panel
to review ethics complaints against elected officials — steps that Haley favors. But the bill
did not have enough support to pass in the Senate last year and its fate remains uncertain.
Haley also urged lawmakers to approve her education initiative, which calls for spending an
extra $100 million next year on impoverished students.
“The most glaring failure on our part has been the failure to acknowledge that it simply
costs more to educate a child in poverty,” she said. “As a state, we can’t afford to ignore
that any longer.”
Haley wants to set aside another $60 million to hire reading coaches for each elementary
school in the state and to improve technology in schools like the one that she attended as a
child in Bamberg.
“My daughter Rena attends the brand-new River Bluff High School in Lexington, where
every classroom has a 72-inch television and every child has an iPad,” Haley said. “When I
went back to Bamberg to give an anti-bullying speech, the school didn’t even have the
equipment to show a video.
That’s wrong. It’s immoral. And it has to change.”
Three Anderson County legislators had differing reactions to Haley’s schools plan.
“I think it is a positive step forward,” said Rep. Joshua Putnam, a Republican from
Piedmont.
Rep. Anne Thayer, a Republican from Anderson, was equally upbeat.
“I am glad to see that we are going to do something for education,” Thayer said. “It is really
important for South Carolina.”
But Sen. Kevin Bryant said that Haley’s plan to increase education funding is misguided.
“Giving more money to school districts is not going to fix anything,” said Bryant, a
Republican from Anderson.
The key to improving education in South Carolina, he said, is promoting school choice — an
issue that Haley failed to mention during her speech.
Sen. Vincent Sheheen, a Democrat from Camden who is running against Haley in this fall’s
rematch of the 2010 governor’s race, said Haley’s speech featured a collection of campaignyear platitudes.
“For three years we’ve listened to Nikki Haley talk and for three years we’ve watched her
fail to lead,” said Sheheen in a statement issued after her speech. “South Carolinians
watched her oppose expanding four-year-old kindergarten and fail to put forward any ideas
on education until it was election time.”
At the beginning of her 37-minute speech, Haley congratulated Sheheen and other state
lawmakers for passing a government restructuring plan this week after years of discussion.
The measure gives the governor more authority over the state’s bureaucracy by eliminating
the five-member Budget and Control Board.
“There is not time tonight for me to go into all the good that will come from this change, but
I will say this: The Budget and Control Board — what I call the big, green, ugly monster —
is dead, and with it the legacy of a backwards administrative government that was as
wasteful as it was clumsy, as inefficient as it was embarrassing,” she said.
Haley also lauded a road-funding bill that was approved last year.
“South Carolinians are about to see orange cones popping up all across our state,” she said.
“It’s a beautiful thing.”
The governor urged lawmakers to use anticipated new revenue to continue paying for
highway projects. She again warned them that she will veto any effort to raise the state’s
gas tax.
Haley defended her refusal last year to expand South Carolina’s Medicaid program. “We will
continue to fight Obamacare every step of the way,” she said.
Haley took time to tout her administration’s economic achievements.
“We have announced 43,000 new jobs, in 45 out of our 46 counties. We have seen almost
$10 billion invested in South Carolina,” said Haley, adding that the state’s unemployment
rate has dropped to its lowest level in five years. “We now have the fastest-growing
economy on the East Coast.”
Rep, Mike Gambrell, a Republican from Honea Path who is chairman of Anderson County’s
legislative delegation, said Haley deserves credit for her accomplishments.
“It is hard to argue with her record on jobs,” he said.
Gambrell said he was impressed with Haley’s fourth State of the State address.
“I thought it was her best one yet,” he said.
Palm Beach Post (Florida)
January 22, 2014 Wednesday
FINAL EDITION
FAU prof appointed to ethics panel; Philosophy teacher will replace last original
member.
Clevis R. Headley, an associate professor with Florida Atlantic University's Department of
Philosophy, has been appointed to the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics, officials
said Tuesday.
Headley will replace commission Chairwoman Robin Fiore, whose term expires next month.
He was appointed to the four-year-term by Dennis Crudele, the university's interim
president.
Headley is expected to take over the seat at the commission's March meeting.
Fiore will attend her last meeting Feb. 6.
Fiore is the commission's last remaining original member. She was appointed to the fivemember board in 2010 by John Pritchett, FAU's interim president at the time.
Fiore was then an associate professor specializing in medical ethics. But shortly after she
was appointed to the commission, she left FAU to work for the University of Miami.
FAU officials sought to have her removed, but county officials determined that she could
keep the seat because the University of Miami had a facility in Palm Beach County.
Headley could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
His appointment comes at a critical time for the commission and the county's ethics reform
measures.
Ethics commissioners serve on the seven-member committee tasked with choosing the
county's next inspector general.
Interviews are expected to be held in the coming months.
Sheryl Steckler announced in October that she would leave the post when her contract
expires June 27.
The Ethics Commission was created by the County Commission for county government in
2009, and a 2010 countywide referendum extended its authority to all of the county's cities
and added it to the county charter.
It is a key part of ethics reforms precipitated by the conviction of three county
commissioners and two West Palm Beach city commissioners on public corruption or official
misconduct charges.
Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
January 22, 2014 Wednesday
Palm Beach Edition
Ethics rules in spotlight; Bill would alter gift-reporting requirements, impose
penalty for unfounded complaints
A Palm Beach County legislator's proposed changes to Florida ethics laws are raising
concerns about potentially weakening local anti-corruption efforts across the state.
State Sen. Jeff Clemens, D-Lake Worth, proposes chipping away at requirements for state
and local public officials to report gifts they receive that are worth more than $100. Those
quarterly reports are used to identify potential conflicts of interest.
Other proposed changes in Clemens' Senate Bill 606 could make it harder for local
governments to enact tougher ethics requirements, such as those established in Palm Beach
County following a string of corruption scandals. The bill also calls for imposing penalties of
up to $5,000 on unfounded ethics complaints filed with "malicious intent."
Clemens, the former mayor of Lake Worth, said he's not trying to weaken ethics rules, but
instead seeks to do away with difficult reporting requirements that can result in tripping up
"otherwise honest public officials." His bill does require elected officials to receive at least
four hours of ethics training each year.
"I want to make sure that we are not chasing people away from public service," Clemens
said. "I want to get us away from gotcha-style politics. ... There are some things [that] go a
little bit too far."
But gift-reporting requirements are critical to having effective ethics compliance monitoring,
said David Baker of the Palm Beach County Ethics Initiative, a group of civic leaders that
pushed for local reform measures. Baker called Clemens' proposed ethics rules changes
surprising and confusing.
"This one misses the mark," Baker said about Clemens' bill. "If anything, it would
undermine ethical behavior."
Palm Beach County Ethics Commission Chairwoman Robin Fiore called the proposed
legislation an attempt to "chill" local ethics-reform measures. She said it would be a mistake
to change gift-law requirements.
"The gift law exists so that the people know what the relationships between the various
stakeholders are," Fiore said. "The public is entitled to know these things."
Palm Beach County already has its own gift-reporting requirements for local officials and
Clemens says he isn't trying to change that.
Yet other proposed restrictions in Clemens' bill could make it harder for Palm Beach County
to enact additional ethics measures and for other local governments to do the same.
His bill would prohibit one local government from "imposing additional standards of conduct
upon the officers and employees of another." Palm Beach County has its own countywide
ethics rules for local officials that apply to all 38 local cities.
"That would create a controversy over jurisdiction potentially," said Steve Cullen, executive
director of the county's ethics commission.
State lawmakers are forbidden from accepting any gifts from lobbyists. It's also against the
law for local elected officials and higher level local government employees to accept gifts
worth more than $100 from lobbyists and those they represent. In addition, state law
requires state and local officials to report gifts worth more than $100 that they receive from
others, excluding relatives.
It's that quarterly gift-reporting requirement that Clemens' bill proposes to change.
Clemens said the bill, not yet in committee, remains a "work in progress" and that changes
could be made before a final vote to address concerns about weakening local ethics
measures.
The Florida League of Cities, which represents city officials in South Florida and across the
state, supports Clemens' proposed bill. The league contends that the legislation wouldn't
weaken ethics rules.
However, the Florida Commission on Ethics has come out against the proposal to change
the gift-reporting requirements.
"It serves a purpose of providing transparency to the public," state Ethics Commission
spokeswoman Kerrie Stillman said.
Newsday (New York)
January 21, 2014 Tuesday
ALL EDITIONS
Guv to pitch reforms; Budget to push for public campaign financing; Senate
Republicans have blocked such proposals
ALBANY - Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo will try to impose a system of public financing of
campaigns and ethics reforms for New York in his executive budget proposal today, his
spokesman said.
Last week more than a dozen groups led by the Working Families Party, which is influential
in Democratic politics, urged Cuomo to use his extensive budget powers to overcome
opposition by Senate Republicans, according to the groups' letter first reported by Newsday.
"By including public financing of elections in the budget, Governor Cuomo has demonstrated
national leadership," Karen Scharff of the Fair Elections for New York coalition said
yesterday. "The governor is showing he is serious about cleaning up Albany and fixing our
broken political system."
Cuomo hopes to use his significant power under budget law to secure a voluntary system in
which $6 in state funds would be used to match every $1 a candidate raises, an
administration official said. Cuomo says he wants to reduce the influence of big donors and
to allow more New Yorkers to consider political runs, regardless of their means.
Under budget law, if Cuomo submits emergency spending measures after the April 1
deadline for passage of a budget, they can become law without the Legislature's approval.
Senate Republicans have blocked the measure for years. They say the millions of dollars to
fund the system would be better spent on schools, tax breaks or other measures.
"Any proposal to build a campaign system on the backs of hardworking New Yorkers fails to
account for the financial pressures they already face," Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb
(R-Canandaigua) said yesterday.
The groups signing the letter included Common Cause NY, the New York Public Interest
Research Group, the State Council of Churches, the Long Island Progressive Coalition and
the Greater New York Chamber of Commerce. The groups also have been buoyed by the
rise of liberal Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio.
A Siena College poll released yesterday showed 64 percent of New York voters support
public financing of campaigns, with 30 percent opposed.
The poll also showed 57 percent of respondents would vote to re-elect Cuomo, while 33
percent said they would prefer someone else.
Cuomo would beat Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino 67-19 percent, an
improvement for Cuomo since the November poll. Developer Donald Trump, who is again
mulling a run for governor, would lose 70-22 percent to Cuomo, the poll showed.
"Neither Trump nor Astorino garners the support of a majority of Republicans and both trail
among independents by more than 40 points," said Steven Greenberg of the Siena poll.
The telephone poll, taken Jan. 12-16, has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.
Charleston Gazette (West Virginia)
January 20, 2014, Monday
Lobbyist spending for 2013
WITH the 2014 legislative session just beginning to pick up momentum - and it didn't help
that the House of Delegates decided to drop and cover for days during the water crisis - we
now have final numbers on what the more than 300 registered lobbyists spent on legislators
and state officials in calendar year 2013.
The total: $395,478, including $70,741 spent in the third reporting period, from September
through December, according to disclosures filed with the state Ethics Commission.
Much of the "third-quarter" spending was in the form of campaign contributions, topped by
$12,200 by Christina Cameron and $10,250 by Paul Hardesty.
Others with notable amounts of contributions were the Chamber of Commerce's Steve
Roberts, $2,600; Phil Reale, $1,600; Mark Polen, $1,450; Tom Heywood, $1,450; Tom
Susman, $1,243; and Larry Swann, $1,200.
(Lobbyists need not disclose individual contributions on the Ethics disclosures, presumably
since the info will appear on candidates' campaign spending filed with the Secretary of
State. However, Jackson Kelly attorney Timothy Huffman, who lobbies primarily for coal and
insurance companies, designated that his $800 contribution went to Evan Jenkins for
Congress.)
--Though nothing like the legislative session, there are a few receptions and dinners in the
off-season.
Topping the latest list was the West Virginia Manufacturers Association, which hosted seven
legislative dinners and receptions around the state at a total cost of $14,477, or $99.85 per
person with 145 attendees. That included a total of 49 legislators, at a cost of $4,892.
The "tour" hit Martinsburg Nov. 7, Morgantown Nov. 13, Parkersburg Nov. 14, Wheeling
Dec. 3, Elkins Dec. 4, Huntington Dec. 5, and Charleston on Dec. 12.
That was followed by a West Virginia AFL-CIO reception at the Civic Center on Oct. 23, at a
cost of $11,216 for 300 participants. Among them were nine government officials, including
Sens. Truman Chafin, D-Mingo, and Donald Cookman, D-Hampshire; Delegate Meshea
Poore, D-Kanawha; Auditor Glen Gainer; Kanawha Circuit Judge Tod Kaufman; Kanawha
County Commissioner Dave Hardy; and Huntington Mayor Steve Williams.
Also, Chesapeake Energy reported spending $6,110 for Marshall's Capitol Classic pre-game
reception at the Civic Center Dec. 14. They reported 200 attended, at a cost of $30.55
each, including seven government officials, at $213.85.
--Lobbyists Rob Casto and Chris Marr have formed a public affairs company called CRW
Management Group, and on Nov. 21 hosted a dinner at Laury's attended by Speaker Tim
Miley, D-Harrison, Majority Leader Harry Keith White, D-Mingo, and his wife, and six House
staffers, at a total cost of $1,200.37, or $109.17 per person.
On Dec. 18, Mountaineer Casino lobbyist Nelson Robinson hosted a dinner at the casino's
hotel for Delegates Randy Swartzmiller, D-Hancock, and wife, Ronnie Jones, D-Hancock,
Phillip Diserio, D-Brooke, and wife, and Ryan Ferns, R-Ohio, for an "update on the gaming
facility and issues related to the casino and racetrack," at a cost of $122.70 per person.
On Nov. 18, National Rifle Association national lobbyist Daniel Carey bought dinner for
Miley, Swartzmiller, White and wife, House Finance Chairman Brent Boggs, D-Braxton, and
wife, House Judiciary Chairman Tim Manchin, D-Marion, and Delegate Mike Caputo, DMarion, at a cost of $56 per person.
Meanwhile, guest speakers at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce's 2013 Annual
Meeting at The Greenbrier Aug. 28-30 provided with meals and accommodations were: Gov.
Earl Ray Tomblin ($399 total cost), Senate President Jeff Kessler, D-Marshall, ($961), and
Miley ($345).
--West Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney continued a tradition of distributing
Christmas fruit baskets (no "holiday baskets" for Bill...) to various state offices.
This year, the tab hit $2,183 for 37 baskets, with recipients including the Department of
Environmental Protection, Miners Health Safety and Training, Coal Mine Health and Safety,
Mining and Reclamation, Water Resources, Homeland Security, and the Insurance
Commission.
Also, the offices of Senate president, House speaker, House and Senate clerks, and various
legislative committees, the Attorney General's office, Supreme Court, and departments of
Commerce, Administration and Highways were recipients.
Last but not least, the governor's office received a total of five fruit baskets, with baskets
delivered to the Constituent Services office, the "tunnel" staff, the general counsel staff,
security staff, and to the governor's mansion.
Anderson Independent-Mail (South Carolina)
January 18, 2014 Saturday
S.C. legislators receive plenty of free meals
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Special-interest groups are making sure South Carolina legislators don’t
need to worry about going hungry.
On Tuesday night, the South Carolina Bankers Association conducted a reception for
lawmakers at the Columbia Museum of Art. On Wednesday evening, members of the
General Assembly attended dueling receptions hosted by the South Carolina Economic
Developers Association at the Capital City Club in Columbia and the South Carolina
Telecommunications Association at the art museum.
In the coming week, engineering and architectural groups will offer a reception for
lawmakers on Tuesday night, followed Wednesday night by a shindig hosted by the South
Carolina Bar Association at Capital City Center.
Keeping up with the number of scheduled evening events can be daunting, said Sen. Larry
Martin.
“It gets kind of harried,” said the Republican from Pickens.
Rep. Don Bowen said the receptions hosted by private-sector groups serve an important
purpose for legislators.
“These meetings after hours are where you get a lot of information,” said the Republican
from Anderson. “You have to go just to find out what is going on.”
Martin said the “the rubber chicken” and other culinary offerings at such events often leave
much to be desired.
Bowen said he works hard to watch his waistline when attending the receptions.
“I don’t eat all of that stuff — I just lost 22 pounds,” he said.
Special-interest groups don’t just dish out dinners for lawmakers. On Wednesday, the South
Carolina Health Underwriters Association hosted a breakfast for them. Wednesday’s lunch
was provided by the South Carolina Recycling Association.
Gov. Haley pushing ethics reform
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley stumped for ethics reform Thursday while attending a
luncheon in Greenville.
“It is long past the time that we have ethics reform in South Carolina,” Haley said in a
speech to the Greenville County Republican Party Women’s Club.
“We are asking that every legislator just report their source of income,” said Haley, a
Republican who is running for a second term. “We are one of only four states that don’t do
that. We don’t need to wait until we are the last state in the country.”
Haley also wants to do away with the ethics panels in the state Senate and House of
Representatives that handle complaints filed against members of their respective chambers.
“I can tell you as a former House member, it would be very hard for me to indict my
deskmate,” she said. “We need to have an independent committee that oversees all of us.”
Haley has faced her own ethics issues in recent years. In 2012, the House ethics panel
dismissed a complaint claiming that she had violated ethics rules by lobbying on behalf of
two companies while serving as a legislator. She also has been criticized for taking a
campaign staffer on a state plane and using state vehicles to attend campaign events.
On the eve of this year’s legislative session, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson
said Monday that he wants a state grand jury to review ethics allegations against House
Speaker Bobby Harrell. The president of the South Carolina Policy Council, a limited-
government think tank, has accused Harrell of using his office for financial gain and
campaign money for personal use.
Harrell, a Republican from Charleston, denied at a news conference Tuesday that he has
done anything wrong.
Haley declined Thursday to offer an opinion on Harrell’s situation.
“We will just sit and watch this play out,” she said.
Senators are expected to consider an ethics reform bill as early as this week.
Varying levels of tax-relief proposed
While visiting Greenville, Haley touted a tax cut that is part of her proposed budget. She
wants to eliminate the 6 percent bracket in South Carolina’s state income tax. The move
would save most tax filers $29 a year while costing the state about $26 million in lost
revenue.
Freshman Sen. Katrina Shealy, a Republican from Lexington, has proposed a far more
sweeping tax cut. She has filed a bill that would entirely phase out the state’s income tax,
eventually eliminating about $3 billion in annual state revenue, an amount roughly equaling
half of South Carolina’s general-fund budget.
Three senators have signed on as co-sponsors of Shealy’s bill, including Anderson
Republican Kevin Bryant.