I read with great interest a story this Wednesday about Greg Stumbo’s ambitious attempt to become Speaker of the House. In the story, Larry Dale Keeling attempted to paint the picture that Stumbo is outworking current Speaker Jody Richards in his bid to head the State House.
Keeling quoted from a story Bill Bartleman, who wrote:
“Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, was one of the first people to call Renfro on Saturday after she was picked. He also invited her to a luncheon he hosted Monday in Frankfort to introduce House candidates to potential campaign donors.”
And went on to say himself that:
If Stumbo is helping D House candidates find the folks who can help finance their campaigns, it’s a pretty solid bet he indeed will try to unseat Richards.
So Greg Stumbo hosted a luncheon for Democratic House candidates that connected them with major campaign donors. Interesting. Never satisfied with what I read in any newspaper, I started to dig.
Beyond what Keeling says in his story, I have been able to determine that the eight candidates who attended Stumbo’s luncheon were: Tommy Thompson, Larry Clark, Dennis Keene, Zana Renfro, Mike Lawrence, Martha Jane King, and Kent Stevens.
That’s all interesting and fine and dandy, right? Right.
But what’s most interesting is what Keeling leaves out of his story.
That luncheon was held on Monday at the lobbying firm of Southern Strategy Group on Shelby Street in Frankfort. The firm of Leigh Ann Thacker, a lobbyist who, according to reports, once (or still does) date fellow lobbyist Gene McLean, the king of the casino/horse racing/beer lobby and tight friend of Greg Stumbo. Meaning that Stumbo was connecting Democratic House candidates with lobbyists who then gave them campaign contributions or promised to raise money for them. Meaning Greg Stumbo and the eight others– who included Larry Clark– skirted, if not outright broke, ethics laws galore.
Are these the kind of people you want leading your State Legislature?
30 responses so far ↓
1 Revealed // Aug 29, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Leigh Ann Thacker served on Fletcher’s transition team for Health & Families Cabinet. Then Kevin Payton served in that cabinet as legislative director for Fletcher. Payton and Thacker are now the partners for Southern Strategies. Many are known to distrust both of them for very good reasons.
2 Another reveal // Aug 29, 2008 at 4:44 pm
These same two lobbyists (Thacker and Payton) hosted a fundraiser for Fletcher in their safe office for Fletcher/Rudolph. I know because there were several lobbyists there and quite a few people from Fletcher’s Environmental and Protection cabinet as well. These are the kind that play whomever with no real convictions of their own other than money.
3 Notmarknickolas // Aug 29, 2008 at 4:51 pm
why have a fundraiser at a lobbying firm when there’s a perfectly good governor’s mansion up the road?!? Silly Stumbo….
4 NotJohnathanHurst // Aug 29, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Jake – You are way off on this. Tell Joni/ Johnathan that they got their facts wrong. There is nothing unethical about raising funds for Democratic candidates. God Bless Stumbo/ Clark for actually doing something other than using actual caucus funds for leadership jockeying. I think you selectively left off a couple of attendees (probably at someone’s behest) and added an incorrect one. If you are going to maintain some credibility, you will have to remove yourself from a couple of asses and speak the remotely unbiased truth.
5 BILked // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:04 pm
Yes Jake .. these are the kind of people we want leading our state because we keep putting them back in office election after election.
6 jake // Aug 29, 2008 at 11:06 pm
Sorry, but I didn’t get my intel from Joni OR Jonathan. The only thing Joni and I talk about is local history. And Jonathan? The last I saw of him was the night of the primary. And I don’t even remember what we talked about because I’d had several gin & tonics.
There is a SHIT LOAD of unethical behavior when you’re directly accepting funds from lobbyists when you’re a state legislator or candidate for the State House. A Shit load.
I didn’t leave off any attendees. There were 8 people plus Greg. That’s straight from him, as he’s quoted in the Keeling story. (Not including lobbyists)
If you want me to get fired up and start talking about everything I know? I will. But don’t press me. It could turn out badly for Larry and United Electric.
BILked: I’m beginning to believe that.
7 Read the Story // Aug 30, 2008 at 10:08 am
Actually, nowhere did anyone say that donations were solicited from lobbyists. Even if your facts are correct, and I don’t believe they are, is it possible that the donors present were are not registered legislative agents?
8 jake // Aug 30, 2008 at 10:13 am
Yeah, my facts are SO inaccurate. I guess that’s why people who were there showed me (and others) business cards they collected from attendees. I guess that’s why witnesses were outside the event and photographed people as they entered.
And my post isn’t all about Larry Dale’s story. Like I said, if you read what I wrote, what’s most interesting is what Larry Dale DIDN’T reveal.
Sorry, but it doesn’t make a difference if a lobbyist is there with a client telling a candidate, “Hey, take this check from my client. I got them to give you this check.” or if they take it directly from the lobbyist. It’s still shady as all hell and you know it.
9 Anonymous // Sep 2, 2008 at 11:39 pm
I can’t believe what I’ve read in these comments. First, Jake you need to attend an Ethics Commission training session on what is, and isn’t acceptable, for lobbyists to do. A lobbyist is absolutely allowed to attend a fundraiser with their client who is making a contribution to a candidate. While a lobbyist cannot tell their client to make a contribution, they are allowed to let their client know which candidates for office share their concerns and to make those introductions.
As for this fundraiser, I am pretty confident that it was NOT held at Southern Strategies so if there were witnesses outside photographing attendees as you stated, then they must have been awfully lonely with nothing to photograph. I believe that it was hosted at the offices of a private business and that business was not Southern Strategies. The lobbyists that attended the event are much too ethical and smart to personally give checks to candidates as you have claimed.
As for the personal attack on Leigh Ann Thacker and Kevin Payton made by “Revealed”, sounds like he/she must be really insecure in his own abilities and just plain jealous. Both Leigh Ann and Kevin are good lobbyists and wonderful people. I understand that blogs are all about anonymous people saying whatever they want, but “Revealed” really needs to “reveal” himself if he’s going to be so nasty so that Leigh Ann, Kevin and all the people who are happy to call them friends can tell him to get a life.
10 jake // Sep 2, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Like I said, they SKIRTED ethics. It’s borderline unethical and questionable at best. Don’t tell me otherwise; you can’t.
The event did, indeed, occur at Southern Strategy Group, not Southern Strategies. Ask Greg yourself.
11 Settingitstraight // Sep 3, 2008 at 5:01 pm
jake, after reading your response to Anonymous I decided to settle this question once and for all … the event was NOT at the offices of Southern Strategies or Southern Strategy Group if you want to be technical. It wasn’t even within 15 miles of their office. I know because I personally attended the event! If you don’t believe me, check it out with Greg again. As for skirting ethics and borderline unethical, it was neither. The ethics laws are very clear and all were adhered to. Just because you may not like what the laws are, it’s not appropriate for you to give the public the impression that those who are strictly following the laws are straddling the line of being unethical or unlawful.
Now can we put the issue of where this thing was held to rest!
12 jake // Sep 3, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Actually, it WAS held there. I spoke with people in attendance just today.
And it IS borderline unethical. Just like it’s borderline unethical for Jennifer Moore– someone who has preached in favor of good government for years– to attend lobbyist lunches galore while at the DNC.
13 you're crazy // Sep 4, 2008 at 8:57 am
Jake
Get your facts straight. It was not at SSG.
I was there. I think I know the difference between SSG’s building and the location of the event.
Why don’t you post pictures on here of the people walking into the building so we can see where they were going?
14 jake // Sep 4, 2008 at 9:00 am
My facts are straight, holmes.
Are you certain you didn’t attend the dinner mentioned in the Keeling piece and NOT the lunch that DID take place at SSG?
15 you're crazy // Sep 4, 2008 at 9:11 am
Jake.
Prove it with pictures. Post them online for all to see.
Or are you afraid to?
16 jake // Sep 4, 2008 at 9:18 am
Bitch, please. The only things I fear are bad shoes, bad perms, stale Avon perfume and turtlenecks.
And anyone who has read this site regularly over the past year knows that I don’t do anything because someone wants me to or pulls some bullshit out of their hat alleging that I’m afraid.
But I’ll ask for copies of the photographs. But hold your horsies, because these sons of bitches are older than Julian Carroll.
17 you're crazy // Sep 4, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Tell us who the photographer was. Why would someone be on hand to take pictures of the event?
And I’m not your bitch.
18 jake // Sep 4, 2008 at 1:49 pm
You’re my bitch as long as you’re posting anonymously on a website owned by me.
Tell you who the photographer is? I guarantee confidentiality of sources. It’s in writing on this very website. But thanks for trying.
If you were there, you’d know who the photographer was. They stood outside in plain sight.
19 you're crazy // Sep 4, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I was there.
No one took my picture as I walked in. Of course, if they were at SSG, they wouldn’t have seen me.
20 jake // Sep 4, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Did you hackjob beer lobbyists even bother to read the Paducah Sun story? Or the Herald-Leader story?
This isn’t shit that I made up.
Jesus christ.
You should get back to licking Larry Clark’s wrinkled crack 24/7 and stop wasting time on my website.
21 Gladtoparticipate // Sep 4, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Wow, I can’t believe Jake is being so stubborn about this. I too attended this lunchtime event and it was held at the offices of a private business and not at SSG. Maybe whoever you have been talking to that attended doesn’t have a clue where the office of SSG is so they assumed it was held there since some of those folks attended. I would suggest you call Stumbo again and get the facts from him. I met the owners of the private business and some of their staff who were working at the time, and they were certainly not lobbyists. I agree about the photos. Either the photographer just thought this was the SSG building or he was very lonely sitting outside the real SSG building waiting for people to come and go. I do believe there are a number of lobbyists, not associated with SSG, that occupy the SSG building so they might like to have a picture of themselves coming and going from the own place of business that this photographer might have snapped. I haven’t been to the SSG offices but I know that it is located in a house near the Capitol and the place where I attended this lunchtime gathering was at a business out by Democrat Headquarters.
If you want to have any credibility for your readers, you need to accept the fact that you got bad information and own up to it.
22 jake // Sep 4, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Once again, I couldn’t give two flips about whether or not I have “credibility” with you.
But I greatly appreciate this massive spinjob you kids are forwarding around to each other.
23 barney // Sep 5, 2008 at 8:04 pm
So, where are the pictures?
24 jake // Sep 5, 2008 at 8:57 pm
It’s been less than a day, dipstick.
I asked for them.
25 barney // Sep 6, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Now it’s been two days. How hard is it for someone to email you the pictures so that you can post them? Or are they being doctored up since the meeting wasn’t help at SSG?
26 jake // Sep 6, 2008 at 8:45 pm
Let’s try this again, holmes.
READ WHAT I WROTE. Here and here.
Then get over yourself.
27 jake // Sep 7, 2008 at 4:29 pm
Note to lobbyist hacks: You’re moderated. Stop posting.
Go back to ruining the country and stop wasting your time. I’m pretty sure Greg Stumbo can take up for himself. And if he can’t, Mary Karen can help.
28 notredamebacker // Sep 8, 2008 at 7:32 am
Gee, if someone doesn’t agree with you, you sure get upset.
All these people have done is question your sources of information. Prove them wrong and everything will be hunky dory.
29 jake // Sep 8, 2008 at 8:37 am
Upset? I guess you have some magical ability to decipher tone-of-voice from written text.
I don’t have to prove anything. Especially not to three different lobbyists in Nevada, Indiana and Arkansas.
Larry Dale Keeling reported what happened. Bill Bartleman reported what happened. And multiple members of the state legislature have kept me informed. Short of you three hacks, everyone else knows what’s going on.
30 beerman // Sep 12, 2008 at 7:05 pm
So, now where are the pics?
You site says informed. Guess this time you were misinformed.
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