The latest spin cycle in the hotly contested governor's election includes dirty politics over so-called ""dirty money."" According to the nonpartisan advocacy group Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, U.S. Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, exceeded the state limit of political action committee donations and transferred $468,000 in PAC dollars from donors unregistered in Wisconsin.
The state Election Board, stacked with Democrat loyalists, voted to call Green to return the $468,000 congressional coffer within 10 days. The decision reverses nearly 30 years of previous decisions, including four years ago when Democratic candidate Tom Barrett made a similar transfer. It also spites the decision of George Dunst, Election Board attorney, who vindicated Green's money transfer.
Yet, this editorial board believes the emergency rule Green allegedly violated has dubious relevancy to ?the case at hand. One month after passage, state lawmakers suspended the January 2005 Elections Board rule that banned the transfer of unregistered state funding from federal to state campaigns.
However, the full legislature failed to enact the suspension before adjournment in July. The rule went into effect one day after Green transferred the federal money.
It appears as though Democrats plan to use the rule's ambiguous status to Doyle's advantage—they have charged Green with wanton disregard for elections rule, intensified the ""dirty money"" idea, smeared the congressman's improving ethic reputation and now hope to ultimately widen the $2 million chasm between the candidates' funding.
However, using partisanship as a campaign chip cuts both ways. Gov. Doyle himself is currently under investigation for three allegations of illegal campaign financing. As far as Republicans, Green's party leaders in the assembly essentially landed him in this mess by killing Senate Bill 1.
SB 1, penned by Sen. Mark Ellis, R-Neenah, would have ensured nonpartisan staffing of the Elections Committee. Had Republican assembly leaders not sabotaged its passage, Green could have confronted a more sympathetic Elections Committee.
According to Green campaign manager Mark Graul, the $468,000 congressional stockpile is long spent. Lawmakers should invest in ethics reform instead of wasting time debating Green's questionable cash. This board believes it is time to drop the issue and focus on state ethics policy.
Pre-election campaign finance scandals (among others) distract voters from true issues and stagnate effective governance. Instead of booing and hissing at one another, we urge state Democrats and Republicans to resurrect SB 1 with the support and endorsement of Assembly leaders.
