Sunshine: Searchable muni campaign finance database launches
As the Chronicle reported yesterday, Houston has officially moved to electronic campaign finance reporting for municipal elections (thanks in large part to one Chronicle reporter's efforts to move the city into the computer age).
Today, people have already begun to analyze the campaign finance reporting for items of interest.
For example, Matt Stiles reports the following today:
Two council members spent more than $100,000 from campaign accounts to pay legal bills related to an ongoing investigation by the Harris County District Attorney's office, records show.
Since January, council members Carol Alvarado and Michael Berry have paid lawyers $70,000 and $45,000, respectively, according to campaign filings made public Monday.
Berry and Alvarado, both of whom declined comment Tuesday, have been subjects of a broad inquiry into city officials and practices launched by District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal's office last year.
Rosenthal also declined comment, referring calls to a prosecutor in charge of the probe who was out of town Tuesday.
And Douglas Britt reports on Chron.com's East End blog that one Council candidate may have tipped a Tejano Democrats endorsement his way by buying memberships for supporters:
By my math, [James Rodriquez' report] shows $400 of expenditures spent on Tejano Democrats memberships in mid-June, right around the time eligibility to vote on endorsements was winding town.
To double-check my numbers, pull up Rodriguez' report and do a search on "Tejano."
Here's what I found:
Two entries for a $25 "HCTD membership pd by Nick Hellyar and will be reimbursed" dated June 14.
One entry for $225 toward "HCTD memberships pd by Joe Alanis and reimbursed" dated June 16.
One entry for $125 toward "HCTD memberships pd by Cathy De La Cruz and reimbursed" dated June 16.
That adds up to $400 in Tejano Demcrats memberships, which cost $25 apiece for regular members and $10 for students.
At a minimum, $400 would buy 16 memberships -- more if some of the members were students.
Rodriguez won by 12 votes.
Feel free to offer your thoughts on both matters in the comments.
I'll just conclude with, sunshine is great.
BLOGVERSATION: NewsWatch: City Hall, Off the Kuff.
Posted by Kevin Whited @ 07/18/07 04:34 PM | Print |
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