Kansas Meadowlark: KS Gov Ethics General Counsel Gives to PAC

November 16, 2004

General Counsel for KS Governmental Ethics Commission
Contributes to Controversial PAC

On Sept 3, 2004 the General Counsel for the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, Vera Gannaway, contributed to the controversial ProKanDo PAC, which was established by Dr. George Tiller in Wichita to support his political cause. This contribution was legal but may show a lack of judgment, or possibly even ethics, to contribute to a Political Action Committee that one oversees. Gannaway has made no other contributions according to OpenSecrets and the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission web page.

Vera Gannaway resigned her position with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission on Oct 29, 2004 to take another job, according to Carol Williams, the Executive Director of the Ethics Commission. Here are comments from Carol Williams about this:

I was unaware that Ms. Gannaway made a donation to any political action committee. The Commission has no rules about its employees making political contributions to candidates or PACs. There are statutory prohibitions for Commission members soliciting contributions for any candidate or serving as a chairperson or treasurer for any candidate, there is not, however, any statute which prohibits a Commissioner or employee from making a contribution to candidates or political committees.

The ProKanDo PAC hid a considerable amount of money from the public before the Nov 2002 general election, and the Aug 2004 primary election. Disclosure of a circuitous spending path in both cases was made only after the elections.

ProKanDo channeled a considerable amount of money in the week before the Nov 2002 general election via a Kansans for Democratic Leadership PAC. Most of this money was spent to oppose now Attorney General Phill Kline.

In the August 2004 primary election ProKanDo channeled a considerable amount of money in the week before the election to the Kansans for Moderate Government PAC, a group that sent several mailings in at least four State Senate races. The Kansas press seems unable to find this story about "secret" money but reports about "secret" money spent by Club for Growth and Americans for Prosperity instead.

ProKanDo raised $190,429 in 2004 and spent a total of $201,419 during the 2004 election cycle. ProKanDo has $14,434 in the bank as of Oct 25, 2004.

Kansans for a Moderate Government raised $38,865 in 2004 with $38,330 coming from the ProKanDo PAC. The only two other contributors were Republican activist Jack Ranson, and Jerry Busch, who also was a Howard Dean contributor. In addition, Jerry Busch was one of the underwriters for the Wichta ProKanDo fundraising event held June 5, 2004 that had this purpose according to the invitation:

Currently, ProKanDo is working to help elect new pro-choice, candidates to the Kansas State Senate. These candidates will give the Senate a pro-choice majority. The Senate will be able to not only defeat anti-choice legislation and support the Governor's veto of anti-choice bills, but to help promote legislation that will enhance women's rights.

Should any of ProKanDo PAC/Kansans for a Moderate Government PAC transactions be investigated? Kansans for a Moderate Government PAC reports a $10,000 contribution from the ProKanDo PAC on 7/23/2004, but the ProKanDo PAC Expenditures DOES NOT show this contribution. $28,330 in other contributions by ProKanDo to Kansans for a Moderate Goverment are on both reports and check out. Only the first $10,000 contribution is missing.

One can only speculate how it is possible to send out multiple mailings in at least four state senate races (specifically, State Senate Districts 10, 20, 31, 32 and perhaps others) in only a week before the election. 4 * $5,250 approximately explains the week of expenditures of about $21,000. With 2 or 3 mailings in some of these state senate districts, the cost would have been about $1750 to $2625 per state senate district mailing. Perhaps there was some very special voter targeting, or some special accounting, but the numbers just don't add up for a state senate district mailing. Advance planning was so precise that no reporting of expenditures was needed in the July 26, 2004 PAC report by either group, which conveniently hid this relationship until the Oct 25, 2004 report.

Another PAC that promoted "moderate" candidates was Responsible Republicans of Kansas. Jack Ranson was the treasurer and the address of this PAC was the same as Steve Cloud's IBT business. Responsible Republicans raised $11,205 and spent $8,671. Most of this money was sent directly to candidates including three state senate races and two state rep races.