The People's Business

DES MOINES - Iowa's top campaign finance watchdog told a legislative committee this week that only 35 percent of candidates for state offices use electronic reports to tell Iowans who gave them money and what they spent it on. The rest stick a pile of forms into a manila envelope and mail them to Des Moines. When they arrive, according to Charles Smithson, director of the Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board, state employees paid with your taxes audit them by hand, run them though a scanner and post the scanned images on a website.
By contrast, electronic reports are audited and posted in minutes. For the public, electronic, instant reports are easy to read and analyze. It can take days for scanned reports to go from envelope to Internet and clarity depends on whether the preparer paid attention in penmanship class.
So what's the deal? Some lawmakers claim to be technophobes. Others say longtime campaign treasurers are resistant to change.
And some politicians are honest.
Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, told the panel it's all about political strategy. He files paper reports because the harder it is for his opponent to find out details about his fund-raising and spending, the better.
McCoy won one of Iowa's most expensive legislative campaigns back in 2002, when he spent $179,000 to get 12,003 votes and a job that pays $21,000 per year. "I for one will never support mandated electronic filing," McCoy said.
Then McCoy complained how outsiders who have the gall to analyze campaign finance records often get their facts wrong. The irony was not lost on Rep. Jeff Elgin, a Republican from Cedar Rapids.
Elgin pointed out the accuracy of that analysis would improve if citizens weren't forced to decipher scanned chicken scratch. Elgin chairs the House State Government Committee, and said he'll push for a bill that requires universal electronic filing.
Most Iowans don't care about campaign finance. But they do care about holding public officials accountable for the decisions they make. Tracking campaign cash is an important part of that process.
Lawmakers who are willing to gum up that process in the interest of saving their political hides should tie a string around their finger. It's to remind them they're a public servant.

STEALTHANOL - Ethanol blended gas commands a 60 to 70 percent share of Iowa's fuel market. Some lawmakers argue the best way to boost that share is to mandate that every gallon sold here be blended with the corn-based additive. But that mandate faces stiff Statehouse opposition. Instead, some legislators are suggesting that the best way to promote ethanol is to stop promoting it.
They'd remove ethanol stickers from gas pumps. That way, all drivers would know is that one brand of gas is cheaper and has higher octane. Even ethanol haters might find that combination hard to resist.
Sen. Mark Zieman, R-Postville, tells the story of a Minnesota driver who pulled up to an Iowa pump and bragged how he never uses ethanol. He didn't know that Minnesota has an ethanol fuel mandate. Up north there are no stickers on the pumps.
Lawmakers insist it's not deceptive. And by the way, next week this column will be called Free Beer.

TAX 'EM IF YOU GOT 'EM - As Medicaid budget woes worsen, discussions regarding a cigarette tax hike are no longer about whether it will happen. The main questions now are how soon and how much?
It's likely the Senate holds the key, both because of its bipartisan makeup and because Senate Republican Leader Stewart Iverson is the staunchest opponent of a tax hike on smokes. Iverson hates the idea but has stopped short of saying he would block any attempt to vote on an increase.
So how would it reach a vote? It's likely a bill containing a small tax hike could make it to the Senate floor where amendments could be offered seeking a larger increase. Then it's up to the House.
Gov. Tom Vilsack wants an 80-cent increase, to $1.16 per pack. Almost no one thinks he'll get that much, but he might get enough to cover Medicaid.

Todd Dorman is Statehouse bureau chief for Lee Enterprises newspapers. He can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or at todd.dorman@lee.net.