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Time for a rule change

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* Like them or not, campaign contribution caps will be with us a long time, so the state’s aggregation rule really needs to be changed. Check out how state Senate candidate Tom Pliura avoided reporting tens of thousands of dollars in campaign loans until after the March primary…

State disclosure laws now require that any donation over $1,000 has to be reported to the State Board of Elections within five days.

But Pliura avoided the requirement by accepting 79 separate loans of between $550 and $999 between Jan. 30 and March 19, the day before the primary. Among the transactions were 29 separate $900 loans from his wife, Pam, made between Jan. 30 and March 15. […]

Under Illinois’ old campaign-disclosure rules, if a candidate got multiple checks where each was under the disclosure threshold but the aggregate was over the threshold, then the candidate had to disclose all of the checks, Morrison said.

After the Legislature approved so-called campaign-disclosure reforms that went into effect Jan. 1, 2011, the State Board of Elections tried to enforce the aggregation rule.

But the Joint Commission on Administrative Rules, made up of legislators, “shot them down and said, ‘You can’t do that,’” Morrison said. […]

In a report the Campaign for Political Reform wrote last year, it argued that the change to the aggregation rule allowed candidates in municipal elections to hide nearly $500,000 in campaign contributions until after the elections.

Enough, already. The aggregation rule should be changed back to the way it used to be.

To see Pliura’s long list of small loans which avoided the $1,000 reporting requirement and, therefore, detection during the campaign, click here.

* Ironically enough, pretty much Pliura’s whole campaign was based on a pledge to never be a “typical politician.” Check out this Internet ad where he pats himself on the back for being so fed up with the status quo…

It could be Pliura feels like he got one over on the powers that be by using their own rules against them. All’s fair in love and war, I suppose. But it didn’t do him much good. Pliura lost the GOP primary to Rep. Chapin Rose by 20 points.

Whatever the case, this has been yet another edition of “Always, Always, Always Beware Anyone Claiming to be a Purist Reformer.”

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 12:02 pm

Comments

1) ICPR called the “so-called” reforms “landmark” when they were enacted.

2) Nothing short of public financing of political campaigns is going to alter the relationship between money and public policy.

3) Anything short of public financing simply creates a new cottage industry for election lawyers and tips the playing field even further toward those with the deepest pockets and the best lawyers, fueling fundraising demands and increasing the influence of money.

YDD

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 12:17 pm
What a self righteous phony.

Comment by John Parnell Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 12:32 pm
===“Always, Always, Always Beware Anyone Claiming to be a Purist Reformer.”===

Not good advice, Rich … GREAT advice.

Too bad very few listen to the simple bits of info to stay clear of this stuff.

Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 12:38 pm
Great catch. Good points and sound logic on restoring the aggregate rule, as well.

Comment by Freeman Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 12:39 pm
Pathetic.

I agree with your admonition if the emphasis is on “beware”. My only hesitation is that there are reformers who believe what they say and then there are those who, like this jamoke and our former governor, who simply use it as “messaging.” It just means you have to judge people based not just on their happy words but on their actions.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 1:15 pm
This loophole needs fixed. We saw Springfield Alderman Joe McMenamin use it in the spring of 2011 to funnel funds from his congressional campaign fund. I would’ve thought some reform minded legislator could make an issue of the loophole & try to pass something by now.

Comment by Blue Dog Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 1:19 pm
==reform minded legislator==
Good luck finding one of those!

Comment by Bill Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 1:57 pm
Another phony goo goo. Beware of the self rightous.

Comment by Loyal Whig Wednesday, Apr 25, 12 @ 8:58 pm
I’d rather ban that tie.

Comment by Allen Skillicorn Thursday, Apr 26, 12 @ 7:02 am