Government for Sale to Highest Bidder Under Lord Doyle’s Watch

Source: Republican Party of Wisconsin



For the second time in three weeks, an inquiry has been launched into the ethical conduct of Governor Doyle’s office pertaining to pay-to-play tactics. The State Ethics Board is looking into whether a fundraiser, organized by a top ranking Department of Transportation official, was an improper solicitation of donations to the Governor. Despite mounting evidence that the fundraiser crossed the line, the Doyle administration repeatedly denies any wrongdoing.

“The ethics of the Doyle administration have become so skewed, they can’t even recognize the impropriety of their actions,” said Rick Graber, chairman of the Republican Party of Wisconsin. “The Governor has been so blinded by his moneybag, the Ethics Board has to step in and guide him.”

According to an Ethics Board official, the Board plans to devote time and resources in the immediate future into a review of the DOT fundraiser. In addition, the Ethics Board is drafting legislation that would ban full-time political appointees and top government officials from soliciting campaign contributions from people who do business with the state.

The DOT fundraiser, which had a suggested $500 contribution, included employees of engineering firms who compete for more than $100 million of state business a year. Governor Doyle’s office has said the fundraiser was appropriate. The review of the fundraiser comes on the heels of a federal-state-local investigation launched into the award of a lucrative state travel contract to Adelman Travel, whose executives contributed $20,000 to Governor Doyle in the months surrounding the bidding process. The $750,000 contract was given to Adelman even though competing vendor, Omega Travel, scored better and the majority of members on an evaluating committee preferred Omega.

Earlier this week, RPW sent an open records request to the Department of Administration asking for a list of all contracts the Doyle administration has entered into since taking office in an effort to further examine potential conflicts of interest.

“Governor Doyle now has one investigation underway, an Ethics Board inquiry and several independent reviews into his ethical conduct,” said Graber. “In addition, Republican state legislators have introduced legislation that has received bi-partisan support to help clean-up the mess he’s made. Yet the Governor continues to defend his actions and erode public trust. As long as he is in office, Wisconsin will have a Governor who represents those with deep pockets, not the people.”