We reported a while back that Sen. Gilbert Baker had the benefit of a UCA-provided tent and UCA crew for a campaign fund-raiser at the home of UCA trustee Michael Stanton. Political opponents said this didn’t pass the smell test.
Baker, to cover himself, asked for an advisory opinion from the state Ethics Commission. It was issued today and it says elected officials should use “extreme caution” about using public property for campaign purposes. It issues no finding in the specific case, but repeats longstanding commission boilerplate advice that public equipment and facilities can’t legally be used for political purposes unless they are made equally available to all, regardless of politics.
The original excuse on Tentgate was that UCA would gladly rent tents for anybody who needed one, so there was no foul. (Righto. I think I need a tent to tailgate Saturday at Fayetteville; where do I meet the UCA crew?) This excuse happens to be in keeping with the alibi that UCA would also provide deluxe single-family housing for any student who asked, just as it did for Gilbert Baker’s kid. And probably that it would make contributions to any charity, just as it did to a charity that was paying Gilbert Baker a salary to raise money.
Ethics violation or not, the state Democratic Party, which has a strong opponent, Joe White, against Baker this year, calls B.S. on the senator on the jump. I’ve left a phone and e-mail message for the senator to comment.