When the opportunity presents itself, I like to praise public officials for leading by example, especially when it relates to ethics reform. I recently praised House Minority Leader Tom Taylor for going out of his way to avoid the appearance of impropriety with a land donation.
Lt. Gov. Diane Denish set another great example today. She has decided to publicly release quarterly finance reports for her 2010 gubernatorial campaign even though state law only requires that such reports be filed once a year in off years. You can view the report her campaign released today, for the July-September reporting period, by clicking here.
As a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Ethics Reform, Denish is setting the example by going beyond what’s required by state campaign finance reporting laws. That sort of leadership is what will push the Legislature to approve tougher ethics laws.
Denish began the quarter with just over $1 million in the bank. She ended it on Sept. 30 with almost $1.2 million in the bank after raising more than $221,000 and spending almost $79,000.
Another impressive point from her report: Her largest contribution, other than interest from a bank account that has to be reported as a contribution, was a $5,500 contribution from the Democratic Lieutenant Governor’s Association in
Though I think the contribution limit for individuals should be $2,300, Denish’s contributions during this quarter are refreshing when compared with the massive contributions accepted by governor and candidates in other statewide races last year.
Denish should be commended for deciding to publicly release quarterly reports.