Kansas Meadowlark

Saturday’s Chanute Tribune published an article, “Umbarger’s campaign expenditures questioned by foe.” The article described Senate candidate Iris Van Meter’s (R, Thayer) questioning of two expenditures in the campaign finance report filed on July 28 by her opponent, Senator Dwayne Umbarger (R, Thayer).

Umbarger’s report listed a $1738 expenditure to Carolina Carports, which was likely spent for the carport on Umbarger’s farm, which is shown at the left. Does this carport look like a structure suitable for “Storage for Legislative Service, Campaign Signs, and Campaign Information”? [What is “Legislative Service” and how does one store it?] (more…)

Why are missing, large money transfers between a Kansas PAC and a federal 527 PAC from 2006 ignored by the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission? Are a missing $25,000 transfer and two $15,625 transfers big enough to trigger the need for an “errors and omissions” notification, and the need for an updated PAC report? The Ethics Commission has known about these omissions since August 2007 but has taken no action. (more…)

Mr. Bruce McKinney was the Chair/Treasurer of a PAC, Wichita Voters for Truth, that sent out a hit piece in Wichita in Nov 2006 and then never filed a Jan 2007 report with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. The Ethics Commission cannot find this guy, but newspapers can find him and then quote him about his political activities? (more…)

The Wichita Voters for Truth PAC sent out this hit piece against State Rep candidate Jan Beemer in the Nov 2006 election, but never filed its Jan 2007 PAC report with the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission explaining how much money was raised and spent on that mailing. Bruce McKinney from Wichita was the Chair and Treasurer of this PAC.

According to the June 24, 2005 Wichita Eagle, “Gay Pride Parade, Festival Sunday”, Bruce McKinney organized the first Wichita gay pride events in 1990 and was quoted by the Eagle June 22, 2007, “Parade and Festival Part of Gay Pride Event,” about last year’s event. Bruce will likely be at the 2008 Pride Parade and Pride Festival this Sunday in Wichita, so if anyone sees Bruce at these events will you remind him the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission would like to talk to him about his missing PAC report from 2007? (more…)