Kansas Meadowlark

The Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission publishes a list of “Top 20″ Kansas Political Action Committees (PACs) every year, but this list is computed only using PAC contributions to candidates.  Why are PACs that raise a lot of money, spend a lot of money, or have a lot money in the bank not in the “Top 20″?

A Meadowlark PAC Ranking, which includes factors for money raised rank, money spent rank, and money in the bank rank, shows 10 Kansas PACs having more political clout than those published by the Ethics Commission. The Ethics Commission declines to change the way it computes its “Top 20″ PAC list even when their list doesn’t accurately reflect political strength.

(more…)

Starting in early 2006 the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission published online “all” campaign finance reports for Kansas Political Action Committees (PACs) and political candidates — these reports are now free for the public to view.

These new online reports are welcome sunshine on political money since before that campaign finance reports had to be purchased from the Kansas Secretary of State for an outrageous $0.50/page. But now in 2008 not all PAC reports are online and free to view and many don’t know other reports exist. (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…)

[Updated] Gov. Sebelius’ reception for Dr. George Tiller at the Governor’s mansion while Tiller was under criminal investigation has been in the news for the past several days. News reports today focused on a late reimbursement to the State of Kansas for the event. Gov. Sebelius did not report auction items she donated to the Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus, like the reception, as expenditures by her campaign committee or PAC, so the donations must have been made by her personally. (more…)

The Greater Kansas City (Missouri) Chamber of Commerce PAC is awash in cash, with $788,295 in the bank at the end of the Jan 10, 2008 reporting period. A recent Meadowlark article, Political Money Rankings of 228 Kansas PACs, reported that the Missouri GKC Chamber PAC was #1 in Kansas with money raised in 2007, #1 in money spent in 2007, and #1 with money in the bank. (more…)