Trading Endorsements For Votes?
STATE’S LEADING CONSERVATION ADVOCATEÂ UNDER FIRE
FITSNews – May 2, 2008 – For the record, we’ve always thought Conservation Voters of SC Executive Director Ann Timberlake was one heckuva lobbyist. In fact, last year her efforts were widely credited with killing a bill to reopen the Barnwell Nuclear Waste facility - a bill we also strongly opposed here at FITSNews.
The only problem is that Timberlake isn’t registered to lobby lawmakers in the State of South Carolina, something that has riled her antagonists at the State House for years.
“Ann Timberlake operates on an unfair playing field,” one source told FITSNews. “She brazenly violates ethics law by lobbying lawmakers directly, but because she is pro-environment and the press love her, she gets away with things they would crucify any other lobbyist principal for doing.”
That may change this year, however, as Timberlake’s borderline unethical lobbying efforts may have crossed over into the realm of illegality.
Specifically, Timberlake is being accused by two State House sources of offering an endorsement to an unidentified State Senator in exchange for that Senator’s vote on a bill currently before the General Assembly.
“I’ve never done that,” Timberlake told FITSNews. “That’s someone’s fantasy.”
According to both of our sources, however, Timberlake was overheard at a recent legislative event in Columbia offering the Conservation Voters’ coveted endorsement if this particular Senator would support a bill to establish a new permitting program at the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.
State law expressly forbids legislators trading their vote for anything of value, including endorsements.
In addition to denying the accusation of “endorsement trading,” Timberlake also told FITSNews she does not “directly lobby.”
“That’s a gray area,” Timberlake admitted later, though. “You’re not supposed to give the appearance of lobbying.”
Developing …
Comments
By patrickm@scccl.org on May 2nd, 2008 at 7:30 am
Ann Timberlake’s character and respect for the law is unassailable and undisputed.
If our legislators put half the deliberation into decisions that affect our State as Ann and Conservation Voters put into their endorsement decisions, we would be in a much better situation.
So I ask where is he story here? 2 people who won’t go on the record, who are part of what FITS news has characterized as a bunch of drunkards in need of a baby gate, say something they cannot prove or support.
This is the journalistic equivalent of that game telephone where you stand in a circle and repeat the same sentence as you heard it all the way around and at the end it is completely different than how it started. Fits just happens to be at the end of the line. What a suprise.
Nice job Gumshoe.
By latecomer on May 2nd, 2008 at 7:38 am
Fitsnews:
Where have you been? This is last week’s news. She pulls these sorts of stunts all the time.
It is how the game is played, dude.
L8R
By Brad Scott, esquire on May 2nd, 2008 at 8:27 am
If you’re going to engage in this sort of unsubstantiated gossip, you should have something that brings more people to your blog. Try something like this:
Ann Timberlake rumored to have traded her endorsement for one night with resident sex-god, Jake Knotts.
or
Ex-governor’s aid found to have beaten (ok, kicked in the shins) his girlfriend after revealing that he had manlove for Mark Sanford.
The first is about as plausible as your headline. The second is probably true.
By Ross on May 2nd, 2008 at 8:33 am
It’s pretty obvious the greenies don’t think the rules apply to them. Keep digging and you’ll find more I’m sure.
By Treehugger on May 2nd, 2008 at 8:40 am
Fits, you and Ann just need to hug it out, sings some Phish songs, and go play some hacky sack…
By Palmetto Pulse on May 2nd, 2008 at 9:26 am
patrickm@scccl.org – if this is unfounded, then you’re right but if it is….well we’re in a whole different ball game. Trading votes for endorsements is wrong, period, end of discussion. It doesn’t matter if the endorsement is coming from the NRA or the cute, fuzzy, feel good Conservationists. TRADING VOTES FOR ENDORSEMENTS IS BAD FORM! I love a tree just as much as another and I certainly don’t want a cancer causing waste facility in South Carolina and appreciate Ann’s work toward the protection of our environment but trading votes is reprehensible.
By Brad Scott, esquire on May 2nd, 2008 at 10:05 am
Palmetto,
It doesn’t matter if you put it in caps, it’s still a rumor that two unidentified senators heard her endorsement for a vote on an unnamed piece of legislation. Pure garbage.
Here let me show you how it works:
Today it was rumored that a cousin of an ex-aide to a retired politician was heard to say that Will Folks was engaged in sexual intercourse with a varmit, possibly a squirrel or a opossum.
See, it’s on the internets, it has to be true.
This has to do with his little buddy from his days at Sanford’s office not getting the nod from the conservationists. Sniffle.
By fitsnews on May 2nd, 2008 at 10:11 am
Mr. “Scott,”
Varmint intercourse? Yikes … is peanut butter involved?
Nice 1-10 season in ‘98, btw.
-FITSNews
By Brad Scott, esquire on May 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 am
Hey dude, it was you – according to the internets – engaged in the tender embrace with said possum.
I think it’s time for a tearful apology followed by a stretch in rehab.
By Spanky Monky on May 2nd, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Eeewwww … why not a horse instead. Or maybe a RINO?
Oh, I’m sorry, that would be Ceips, wouldn’t it?
By probiz on May 2nd, 2008 at 12:23 pm
The only surprise is it took Sic Willie as long as it did to figure out what was going on.
“Latecomer” is correct. A number of lobbyists heard Timberlake offer the CVSC’s support, and I cannot think of one person in the lobby who is not aware who this “particular” senator is.
Sic is so far up a former governor’s staff member’s ass I am just shocked this was not posted when it happened last tuesday night.
By Palmetto Pulse on May 2nd, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Members represented Conservation Voters
Published in the Beaufort Gazette Sun, Apr 22, 2007
I write to confirm that the recent guest editorial titled “Two Republican candidates are conservation-minded” correctly represents the position of Conservation Voters with regard to the upcoming Senate election.
After reviewing all the candidates, their past records, responses to questionnaires and interviews and opinions of local conservation leaders, the CVSC board decided to withhold the endorsement of a single candidate for two reasons:
The past conservation records of Rep. Catherine Ceips and Rep. Richard Chalk do not merit endorsement even though they have improved this year; and
The County Council records of Wes Newton and Tom Taylor are acceptable to the conservation community.
Because this is a critical election for the future of Beaufort County , we asked our three Beaufort County Board members, Harriet Keyserling, Dennis Glaves and Marty Gresham, to author a commentary to inform voters about the conservation records of the Republican candidates.
Voters also may visit our Web site at conservationvotersofsc.org to view the 2004 and 2006 Conservation Scorecards that will show how Reps. Ceips and Chalk voted on such state issues as Conservation Bank funding, billboards, regulatory takings, factory hog farms and wetlands protection.
Whether Conservation Voters issues an endorsement in a specific race, we want voters to have information to help them choose candidates who are committed to protecting natural resources and their communities’ ability to manage for quality growth.
Ann Timberlake
executive director
Conservation Voters of SC
Columbia
By Oh yeah? on May 2nd, 2008 at 1:19 pm
That is the beautiful part about baseless conjecture with no on the record sources. “A number of lobbyists”, none of whom will step forward….mmmmm. is this because this never took place? Probably.
Watch I can do it to: A number of lobbyists overheard Will Folks offering Jake Knotts Hugh Leatherman’s S class mercedes if he promised to beat up Dan Cooper. Knotts reportedly beat up Hugh Leatherman and ran over Will Folks in his new big body benz.
Both stories have the same amount of validity.
By backyard burger on May 2nd, 2008 at 10:30 pm
These Conservation Clowns are endorsing candidates all over the state, hell even Republicans are being endorsed by them and then these so called Republicans are going out of acting as if they are pro-business, pro-nuke, etc – hey baby you can’t have your cake and eat it to — wake up people before these tree huggin, hacky sack wacks paddy wack us all —-
oh and pass the real bug spray and the burgers while you are at it!
By Dennybob on May 3rd, 2008 at 10:33 am
Sic Willie, you may have overreached here.
First let me say I do enjoy your blog for entertainment value and occasionally for snipits of real information.
Your attack on Ann Timberlake shows just how much our people in Columbia see bogymen behind every tree. Please get her accusers on the record if you want to spread the innuendos in your recent article.
With all due respect, if you have a problem with an endorsement Ann’s board has made, speak to it. Do not shoot the messenger.
BTW: I would vote for the possum.
Dennybob
By Whatever on May 3rd, 2008 at 11:06 am
Everyone knows that these “conservation groups” are incredibly hypocritical and want us to basically live in a bird’s nest. Protecting the environment is a cause we should all participate in, but advocating policies that prevent economic investments/growth for South Carolina is really what groups like Ann’s are all about.
By Dennybob on May 3rd, 2008 at 12:55 pm
Birds Nest
Sorry that my comments offended you. Perhaps I should be more clear.
I am a very conservative minded conversationalist. I do want to see our economy grow. I want to see good jobs come to our state. Heck. I am personally in favor of nuclear power.
To say that saving 1% of our forest lands for future generations and striving to make sure we have clean drinking water are hypocritical makes me question you motives here.
If you know of any company ready to invest in our state, let me know. If they will be good corporate citizens, I will be willing to stand with you before any panel to make them welcome.
Dennybob
By Recovering Lobbyist on May 5th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Until recently I was a lobbyist at the State House. I can personally verify that Ms. Timberlake lobbied legislators on the Barnwell bill. I had no involvement in that bill, but I was working on a different bill before the same committee at about the same time. I personally observed Ms. Timberlake engaging in what I would consider lobbying (Timberlake to Representative: “will you vote against the Barnwell bill?” Representative: “yes.”)
The only question is whether what Ms. Timberlake was doing was legal. Her organization employs a lobbyist. That makes her a lobbyist principal. Her organization also runs a PAC. There is a certain amount of latitude for lobbyist principals. The questions is did she cross the line. Now, if she promised an endorsement in exchange for a vote, that is clearly trading something of value for a vote.
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