Appointees Give BIG To Steve Beshear's Campaign.
Appointees boost Gov. Steve Beshear's political coffers
Written by Tom Loftus
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The largest recent contributor to Gov. Steve Beshear's political party and re-election campaign is not a super-lobbyist or Democratic activist.
He's a Republican — a retired Louisville entrepreneur whom Beshear named to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees last month.
William C. Britton and his wife, Diana, gave a total of $2,000 to Beshear's re-election campaign in March 2010. Then, last Dec. 28, they gave $25,000 to the Kentucky Democratic Party and another $25,000 to the party on Feb. 11.
While a Courier-Journal analysis found that their $52,000 was the largest amount contributed to the governor's political causes by a Beshear appointee, the Brittons are hardly alone in their generosity.
The newspaper found that appointees to state boards and commissions — and their spouses — have contributed more than $820,000 to the Beshear campaign since it started raising money in September 2009 or to the state party since last November's election, when the governor's re-election became its top priority.
“It's a sizable amount of money and a major advantage for an incumbent governor,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “.... And there's nothing that (Beshear's Republican opponent, Senate President David) Williams can do about it, except try to compensate by raising money from other sources.”
He added that “it's the norm in all states. Governors naturally appoint their supporters to boards.”
Richard Beliles, chairman of Common Cause of Kentucky, noted that there's nothing illegal in what the newspaper found.
“But to someone like me who wants state appointees or employees to be independent of politics in their official work, these numbers are too high,” he said.
Kerri Richardson, spokeswoman for the governor's office, said in a statement that Beshear welcomes contributions from supporters but that they have no bearing on appointments.
“The governor has appointed thousands of people to boards and commissions during his term — people who have been carefully chosen for their expertise and interest in the myriad boards that protect Kentucky consumers and oversee government operations,” she said.
The Courier-Journal analysis found that seven of the 11 people Beshear named last week to state university boards gave to his re-election campaign. Some of them, like Britton and new University of Louisville Trustee Laurence Benz, have made large contributions recently to the Democratic Party.
Benz, a Louisville physical therapist, gave $1,000 to Beshear's re-election campaign last year. And on May 12 of this year he and his wife, Patricia, gave $25,000 to the state Democratic Party.
Britton — who also made a $25,000 contribution in May to the Democratic National Committee — said in an email response to The Courier-Journal that he was “absolutely not” trying to improve his chances for the appointment with his big recent contributions.
“My family/professional life now allows me the time to be more involved in my passion for supporting education ...” Britton wrote in the email. He said he and his wife strongly support Beshear.
“His views mirror mine in that we both believe children from all walks of life should be given an opportunity at higher education,” Britton wrote.
Benz did not return phone messages left at his home
As governor, Beshear has made about 4,000 appointments to scores of boards, commissions and task forces. With very few exceptions, the appointments carry no salary, though many are considered prestigious.
The Courier-Journal analyzed the $4.9 million in itemized contributions made to Beshear's primary campaign committee, which started raising funds in September 2009. The newspaper also examined $1.5 million in itemized contributions to the Kentucky Democratic Party since last November's election.
It then checked the names of contributors against a list of Beshear's appointees obtained from the Secretary of State's office.
The analysis found that of the $6.4 million given to Beshear's primary campaign and the state party during those periods, at least $820,000 — or nearly 13 percent — came from people appointed by the governor to state boards or from their spouses.
The totals do not include contributions to Beshear's Nov. 8 general election campaign because the first finance report for the fall race is not due until October.
It's not the first time a governor seeking re-election has received large amounts from appointees. An analysis done four years ago by The Courier-Journal showed that then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a Republican, got nearly 12 percent of contributions to his primary re-election committee from his appointees.
But unlike Fletcher, Beshear had no opposition in his party's primary.
Before Fletcher, Democrat Paul Patton was the only governor able to seek a second consecutive term under a change in the state constitution. But he had only token opposition in his 1999 re-election bid.
The newspaper's analysis found that most Beshear appointees to the most prestigious boards have given to his campaign or the state Democratic Party:
*U of L board, 11 of 12 appointees and/or their spouses contributed.
*UK board, 10 of 11 appointees.
*The other six state universities, 26 of 38 appointees.
*Kentucky Horse Racing Commission: 14 of 15 appointees.
*Kentucky Economic Development Partnership Board: 7 of 8 appointees.
*Kentucky State Fair Board: 8 of 12 appointees.
*Kentucky Lottery Corp: 6 of 7 appointees
The governor also received contributions from appointees to scores of other less prestigious, but still important, boards, such as those that regulate professions, including doctors, car dealers, nursing home operators, funeral directors, engineers and chiropractors.
“People want to serve on these boards to help govern their own profession,” Sabato said. “And it bestows some prestige because it suggests they are at the pinnacle of their profession.”
Written by Tom Loftus
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The largest recent contributor to Gov. Steve Beshear's political party and re-election campaign is not a super-lobbyist or Democratic activist.
He's a Republican — a retired Louisville entrepreneur whom Beshear named to the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees last month.
William C. Britton and his wife, Diana, gave a total of $2,000 to Beshear's re-election campaign in March 2010. Then, last Dec. 28, they gave $25,000 to the Kentucky Democratic Party and another $25,000 to the party on Feb. 11.
While a Courier-Journal analysis found that their $52,000 was the largest amount contributed to the governor's political causes by a Beshear appointee, the Brittons are hardly alone in their generosity.
The newspaper found that appointees to state boards and commissions — and their spouses — have contributed more than $820,000 to the Beshear campaign since it started raising money in September 2009 or to the state party since last November's election, when the governor's re-election became its top priority.
“It's a sizable amount of money and a major advantage for an incumbent governor,” said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. “.... And there's nothing that (Beshear's Republican opponent, Senate President David) Williams can do about it, except try to compensate by raising money from other sources.”
He added that “it's the norm in all states. Governors naturally appoint their supporters to boards.”
Richard Beliles, chairman of Common Cause of Kentucky, noted that there's nothing illegal in what the newspaper found.
“But to someone like me who wants state appointees or employees to be independent of politics in their official work, these numbers are too high,” he said.
Kerri Richardson, spokeswoman for the governor's office, said in a statement that Beshear welcomes contributions from supporters but that they have no bearing on appointments.
“The governor has appointed thousands of people to boards and commissions during his term — people who have been carefully chosen for their expertise and interest in the myriad boards that protect Kentucky consumers and oversee government operations,” she said.
The Courier-Journal analysis found that seven of the 11 people Beshear named last week to state university boards gave to his re-election campaign. Some of them, like Britton and new University of Louisville Trustee Laurence Benz, have made large contributions recently to the Democratic Party.
Benz, a Louisville physical therapist, gave $1,000 to Beshear's re-election campaign last year. And on May 12 of this year he and his wife, Patricia, gave $25,000 to the state Democratic Party.
Britton — who also made a $25,000 contribution in May to the Democratic National Committee — said in an email response to The Courier-Journal that he was “absolutely not” trying to improve his chances for the appointment with his big recent contributions.
“My family/professional life now allows me the time to be more involved in my passion for supporting education ...” Britton wrote in the email. He said he and his wife strongly support Beshear.
“His views mirror mine in that we both believe children from all walks of life should be given an opportunity at higher education,” Britton wrote.
Benz did not return phone messages left at his home
As governor, Beshear has made about 4,000 appointments to scores of boards, commissions and task forces. With very few exceptions, the appointments carry no salary, though many are considered prestigious.
The Courier-Journal analyzed the $4.9 million in itemized contributions made to Beshear's primary campaign committee, which started raising funds in September 2009. The newspaper also examined $1.5 million in itemized contributions to the Kentucky Democratic Party since last November's election.
It then checked the names of contributors against a list of Beshear's appointees obtained from the Secretary of State's office.
The analysis found that of the $6.4 million given to Beshear's primary campaign and the state party during those periods, at least $820,000 — or nearly 13 percent — came from people appointed by the governor to state boards or from their spouses.
The totals do not include contributions to Beshear's Nov. 8 general election campaign because the first finance report for the fall race is not due until October.
It's not the first time a governor seeking re-election has received large amounts from appointees. An analysis done four years ago by The Courier-Journal showed that then-Gov. Ernie Fletcher, a Republican, got nearly 12 percent of contributions to his primary re-election committee from his appointees.
But unlike Fletcher, Beshear had no opposition in his party's primary.
Before Fletcher, Democrat Paul Patton was the only governor able to seek a second consecutive term under a change in the state constitution. But he had only token opposition in his 1999 re-election bid.
The newspaper's analysis found that most Beshear appointees to the most prestigious boards have given to his campaign or the state Democratic Party:
*U of L board, 11 of 12 appointees and/or their spouses contributed.
*UK board, 10 of 11 appointees.
*The other six state universities, 26 of 38 appointees.
*Kentucky Horse Racing Commission: 14 of 15 appointees.
*Kentucky Economic Development Partnership Board: 7 of 8 appointees.
*Kentucky State Fair Board: 8 of 12 appointees.
*Kentucky Lottery Corp: 6 of 7 appointees
The governor also received contributions from appointees to scores of other less prestigious, but still important, boards, such as those that regulate professions, including doctors, car dealers, nursing home operators, funeral directors, engineers and chiropractors.
“People want to serve on these boards to help govern their own profession,” Sabato said. “And it bestows some prestige because it suggests they are at the pinnacle of their profession.”
Labels: General information
posted by KYJurisDoctor at 10:14 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home