October 29, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Tunisia: Politics: State Government: Duluth News Tribune: DOT official says he organized fundraiser for governor Doyle
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October 29, 2005: Headlines: Figures: COS - Tunisia: Politics: State Government: Duluth News Tribune: DOT official says he organized fundraiser for governor Doyle
DOT official says he organized fundraiser for governor Doyle
The deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has confirmed he organized a fundraiser for Gov. Jim Doyle, inviting dozens of employees from engineering firms which do more than $100 million a year in work for the agency. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and his wife served as Peace Corps Volunteers in Tunisia in the 1960's.
DOT official says he organized fundraiser for governor Doyle
DOT official says he organized fundraiser for governor
Associated Press
MILWAUKEE - The deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation has confirmed he organized a fundraiser for Gov. Jim Doyle, inviting dozens of employees from engineering firms which do more than $100 million a year in work for the agency.
But Ruben Anthony Jr. told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel he did not believe officials of the firms felt pressured to attend the Sept. 8 event to which he invited them, and he said he played no role in awarding contracts.
"I didn't do anything to try to give anybody that impression" that donations were tied to state work, he said. "I just assumed that we were having a barbecue and that anybody who wanted to come could come and have barbecue."
Anthony said attendees had to give at least $100 to attend the event.
"That's what they expect usually at these fundraisers," he said. "They expect a minimum."
Anthony said he did not know how much the campaign collected from the event, which was attended by Doyle and DOT Secretary Frank Busalacchi.
Jay Heck, executive director of government watchdog Common Cause in Wisconsin, called Anthony's role in the event "totally improper and outrageous."
"In the first place, why is the deputy secretary for the DOT involved in fund raising?" Heck said. "Secondly, if these folks are actively bidding for contracts with the state of Wisconsin, that's a huge conflict of interest."
State Sen. Mike Ellis, R-Neenah, called the event "another example of in-house politics that is, appearance-wise, corrupted by the money chase for elections."
Brian Swenson, vice president for Wisconsin operations of HNTB, said the firm which has provided engineers for the DOT's reconstruction of Milwaukee's Marquette Interchange had no problem with a high-ranking DOT official organizing the fundraiser.
"As you can probably imagine, we get a lot of requests from both Dems and Republicans," he said. "We evaluate them on a case-by-case basis. ... This was one that we felt would be good to be in attendance at. It was an event for the governor and, obviously, he's got a good stance on transportation, so we felt it would be something worthwhile for us to be there."
Doyle aide Dan Leistikow said there was nothing improper about the event.
"Ruben is a person of great integrity," he said. "He followed the letter and spirit of the law, and no one has even suggested otherwise. He has no role in approving contracts or choosing consultants for the department."
Marc Marotta, chairman of the governor's re-election campaign, said cabinet secretaries and deputy secretaries of state agencies are political appointees who can do whatever they want "on their private time."
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Story Source: Duluth News Tribune
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Tunisia; Politics; State Government
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