Is Grandma Ethically-Challenged ?

The Austin American-Statesman has a story today about questionable donations to Comptroller Grandma Strayhorn's campaign for governor. Back in June, an attorney, Mark Eidman, and a tax consultant, G. Brint Ryan, met with an official in the state Comptroller's office. It is not known for sure what was discussed, but both men represent clients challenging state taxes collected by the Comptroller's office. By the end of June, these men and their cohorts had given $404,500 to Grandma's campaign.

The official who met with the generous duo, Tim Mashburn, was quick to say campaign donations were not mentioned in the meeting. Mashburn said, "It was kind of an innocuous meeting. I have an open-door policy. Anyone who calls and comes by is going to get to talk to me."

The Chris Bell campaign had a different take on the matter. Bell thinks the meeting and subsequent donations may point to political abuses in the Comptroller's office. Bell campaign spokesman, Jason Sanford, said, "Just because it's legal doesn't mean it's right. You shouldn't take money from people you regulate. It's unethical."

The Texas State Auditor's Office has reported that more than 750 taxpayers received $461 million in tax credits and refunds from the Comptroller's office less than a year after they donated to Grandma's campaign. Is Grandma financing her campaign with taxpayer dollars? It sure looks that way. This may just be innocent coincidence, but it has the rancid smell and appearance of graft. The Auditor's have recommended that lawmakers should prohibit any donations to the Comptroller or Comptroller candidates by anyone who represents taxpayers. This sounds like a good idea to me.

This couldn't come at a worse time for Grandma's campaign. Just yesterday, a poll came out that showed she had dropped to 11% support. These kind of ethical questions could destroy her campaign.