All Entries in the "Campaign Watchdog" Category
Claim that David Williams wants grocery tax false
By Jack Brammer – jbrammer@herald-leader.com
The statement: “Placing a tax on groceries — as proposed by David Williams … is a tax that I and other Republicans strongly oppose.”
— Bobbie Holsclaw, in a Feb. 1, 2011, news release
The ruling: False
The facts: Senate President David Williams, who is running against Jefferson County Clerk Holsclaw and Louisville businessman Phil Moffett in the May 17 Republican primary election for governor, did not propose a sales tax on groceries.
Campaign Watchdog: Claim that university condemned Rand Paul ‘false’
MORE: Read our previous Campaign Watchdog articles
By Bill Estep – bestep@herald-leader.com
The statement: “The Baylor University president condemned him (Rand Paul) as ‘lewd, crude and grossly sacrilegious.’”
– The Kentucky Leadership Council, in an automated telephone call against Paul, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee
The ruling: False
The facts: Paul belonged to a secret society at Baylor University in the early 1980s called the NoZe Brotherhood, which had a reputation for trying to tweak religiosity at Baylor, a Baptist university. The group published satirical articles that mocked Christianity.
NoZe was banned from the campus in 1965 and again in 1978, when President Abner McCall suspended the group for being “lewd, crude and grossly sacrilegious,” according to a 1997 article in the school newspaper that was quoted by Baylor Magazine in 2003.
However, McCall took that action well before Paul began attending the school in 1981. The president never condemned Paul.
The Kentucky Leadership Council is a liberal group led by retired Marine Lt. Col. Andrew Horne, a Louisville attorney who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2006.
Campaign Watchdog: Claim that Paul would eliminate a litany of laws ‘false’
By Bill Estep – bestep@herald-leader.com
The statement: “(Rand) Paul would eliminate laws that provide: mine safety, environmental protections, a minimum wage, food safety, toy safety and child labor protections.”
— The Kentucky Democratic Party, in a mailing against Paul, the Republican U.S. Senate nominee
The ruling: False
The facts: Paul has said many times that his general philosophy is that federal power should be rolled back in a wide range of areas, and he does favor eliminating some federal agencies. He has called for abolishing the U.S. Department of Education, for instance, which sends more than $400 million annually to Kentucky.
He has questioned the proper role of the federal government in regulating environmental protection, coal-mine safety and other issues. On mining, he said safety oversight would be better if regulations were written and enforced at the local and state levels — something several local officials said was unrealistic.
However, Paul has not called for an end to federal oversight of mine safety or environmental protection. Asked specifically in a May interview on ABC’s Good Morning America if he favored repealing the minimum wage, he said no.
Campaign Watchdog: Gray’s claim about water rate increase ‘mostly false’
By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
The claim: “Newberry … supported building the water plant that’s making you pay 60 percent more for your water bill. ”
— Lexington Vice Mayor Jim Gray in a radio ad about Mayor Jim Newberry
The ruling: Mostly false
The facts: Kentucky American Water’s new treatment plant is not responsible for a 60 percent increase in water rates.
When the company was granted an 18 percent rate increase last year, only about a fourth of that amount — 87 cents of the $3.90 average monthly increase for residential customers — went to pay for its new treatment plant, according to testimony filed with the Public Service Commission.
The water company also implemented a 37 percent rate increase late last month. About 90 percent of that amount would go toward the plant, the company says. The Public Service Commission is expected to rule soon that the company’s rate is too high and that it must give part of that money back.
As we’ve previously stated, it’s true that Newberry supported Kentucky American Water’s plan to build a new water treatment plant, which was completed last month. Gray wanted to hire a consultant to study a competing proposal from the Louisville Water Co.
Campaign Watchdog: Claim about Barr’s money from coal operators ‘true’
READ PREVIOUS CAMPAIGN WATCHDOG STORIES
CORRECTION: An Oct. 27 “Campaign Watchdog” item was incomplete in its description of a report by the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration and its findings regarding International Coal Group and the 2006 Sago mine disaster in West Virginia. In its investigation, MSHA cited 149 violations of mandatory mine safety and health regulations at the mine. However, MSHA investigators found that none of those violations caused the accident or contributed to the deaths of 12 miners. The MSHA report concluded that a lightning strike caused the Sago mine explosion. The report cited additional “root causes” in the disaster — including a build-up of methane in a sealed portion of the mine and mine seals that were built to an MSHA standard that could not withstand the force of the explosion. The MSHA report did not state that the company was at fault in either case.
By John Cheves – jcheves@herald-leader.com
The statement: “Barr’s campaign is funded by coal operators responsible for mine disasters.”
– U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Versailles, in a television ad criticizing Andy Barr, his Republican challenger
The ruling: True
The facts: Barr’s campaign has reported more than $31,000 in coal industry donations. About 40 percent of that money came from top executives at two companies — International Coal Group of Scott Depot, W.Va., and Massey Energy of Richmond, Va. — that have a history of fatal accidents and citations by government safety and health inspectors.
To cite two prominent recent examples, ICG owns the Sago mine in West Virginia where 12 miners died in 2006 and Massey owns the Upper Big Branch mine, also in West Virginia, where 29 miners died in April.
Campaign Watchdog: Gray’s claims about South Limestone project ‘false’
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By Andy Mead – amead@herald-leader.com
The statement: “South Limestone. When the city needed to repave this road, the mayor turned to one of his political contributors, and we ended up paying $16 million. That’s $5 million more than the original estimate to the high bidder. That’s $7,000 a foot.”
— Lexington Vice Mayor Jim Gray, in a television ad criticizing Mayor Jim Newberry
The ruling: False
The facts: This ad shows Gray walking along the new South Limestone Street past bright yellow signs that count $7,000 each foot. At one point, the words “No bid contracts” appear on the screen.
The fundamental premise of the ad — the city spent $7,000 a foot to “repave this road” — is false. What happened on South Lime went far beyond paving. Sanitary and storm sewers were replaced. Electric, telephone and cable lines were buried. The street and sidewalks were completely removed and rebuilt, with rain gardens.
Also, Newberry didn’t turn to contributors, as the ad alleges, to do the job. It was competitively bid.
Campaign Watchdog: Claim that Barr wants to abolish Medicare ‘false’
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By John Cheves – jcheves@herald-leader.com
The statements: “Andy Barr is trying to trick you to hide a radical agenda: abolishing Medicare for seniors, even putting your Social Security in the hands of Wall Street.”
— U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler, in a television commercial attacking Barr, his Republican challenger
The ruling: False
The facts: Barr hasn’t said he plans to abolish Medicare or privatize Social Security. In campaign speeches, Barr says he will defend Medicare and Social Security.
The Chandler campaign is referring to the budget plan of another Republican, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who is the ranking GOP member of the House Budget Committee. In January, Ryan released a lengthy proposal to reduce deficit spending, including the partial privatization of Social Security and Medicare.
Chandler’s campaign cites a July 7 report from the liberal-leaning Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, which said Ryan’s proposal, if enacted, effectively would end Medicare and divert Social Security funds into private investment accounts.
To connect Barr to Ryan’s plan, the Chandler campaign cites a July 15 interview with Barr on WVLK-AM in Lexington. Barr was asked by a caller if he would support Ryan’s budget proposal. Medicare and Social Security were not mentioned in the question.
“Yeah, I mean absolutely. I’m not in Congress now, of course, and I don’t have an opportunity to support a particular budget,” Barr replied. “But that budget, a leaner budget, is certainly preferable to the ones that have been offered by the president and the speaker of the House.”
While it’s true that Barr favorably remarked on Paul’s plan that day, he has not endorsed specific items in the plan, and he frequently has said that he would oppose efforts to privatize Social Security or end Medicare.
Campaign Watchdog: Claim that Conway supports cap-and-trade plan ‘false’
READ PREVIOUS CAMPAIGN WATCHDOG STORIES
By Bill Estep- bestep@herald-leader.com
The statement: “Liberal Jack Conway supports Obama’s cap-and-trade plan which will cost Kentuckians jobs.”
— Republican Party of Kentucky, in a mailing against Democratic U.S. Senate nominee Jack Conway
The ruling: False
The facts: Conway does not support a cap-and-trade bill pushed by the administration of President Barack Obama.
Cap and trade refers to a system aimed at reducing emissions blamed for global warming. It would put a cap on emissions coupled with a system to let producers trade credits to meet the limit.
The measure stalled in the U.S. Senate after the House approved the bill last year. Many analysts don’t believe Congress will consider a similar bill going forward.
Conway has said any cap-and-trade measure should include provisions to protect Kentucky’s electric rates and coal industry and keep other nations such as China from gaining a competitive advantage, among other things. The law the House passed did not meet that test, Conway said.
The mailing cites a July 2009 story in The Paducah Sun that said Conway did support the cap and trade bill, though he said it needed changes. Conway’s campaign said the story was wrong.
Voters can judge for themselves if Conway has flip-flopped on the issue, but it’s clear that Conway now opposes the cap-and-trade bill pushed by Obama.
Campaign Watchdog: Claim that Jack Conway allowed utility rate increase ‘false’
By Bill Estep – bestep@herald-leader.com
The statement: “(Jack) Conway made hundreds of thousands in dividends from a company linked to a utility Conway allowed to raise rates.”
— Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies, in a television ad against Attorney General Jack Conway, the Democratic U.S. Senate nominee.
The ruling: False.
The facts: This is a case of adding two and two to come up with five in suggesting Conway had a conflict of interest. It doesn’t add up.
The issue concerns a rate increase for Atmos Energy Corp., which distributes natural gas to about 172,000 customers in Kentucky.
Atmos moves natural gas through a pipeline in Colorado owned by Kinder Morgan Energy. Conway owns stock in Kinder Morgan and reported getting $263,000 in dividends in 2009 and 2010.
In its Kentucky rate request, Atmos asked for $9.5 million. Conway’s office, which has authority to intervene in utility rate cases to seek lower rates for consumers, negotiated a settlement of $5.95 million.
Aside from the weak link between Atmos and Kinder Morgan Energy, the key problem with the ad is that Conway’s office does not approve utility rate decisions. That authority lies solely with the state Public Service Commission, which approved the settlement for Atmos in May, but could have rejected it.
Andrew Melnykovych, spokesman for the PSC, said this about the claim that Conway allowed Atmos to raise rates: “That statement is just flat wrong.”
Crossroads GPS is an advocacy group affiliated with longtime Republican insiders, including Karl Rove. It has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars trying to defeat Conway in his race against Republican Rand Paul.
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