ICYMI: Ethics reform shouldn’t be a political calculation

Terry McAuliffe column: Ethics reform shouldn’t be a political calculation

Richmond Times-Dispatch
By Governor Terry McAuliffe
April 10, 2017

For a government to truly be accountable to the people it serves, elected officials must be held to the highest ethical standards. As we’ve seen in recent years, Virginia’s ethics laws are far too lax, allowing officials to line their own pockets with campaign donations as they see fit. I’ve repeatedly made proposals to address this loophole — and others — but have only met with resistance among the General Assembly Republicans.

Virginia is one of the few states that allows politicians to draw from campaign funds for personal use. Fixing this problem is not a political calculation — these rules would apply to everyone equally.

Ironically, last week Republican Ed Gillespie held a rally in Richmond at the foot of the State Capitol where he proposed banning campaign funds for personal use. Standing by his side were Republican leaders, including Speaker Bill Howell and the future speaker, Del. Kirk Cox.

I’ll have to admit I was a bit perplexed. Gillespie’s proposal was identical to one of several ethics reforms I put forth during the 2017 legislative session. Mine was promptly blocked by Republicans, led by Howell and Cox.

When asked by a reporter about this sudden flip-flop, Cox said Republicans opposed this same idea just two months ago because they didn’t trust me.

Now if you’re thinking this doesn’t make sense, you’re not alone. Unfortunately, good policy doesn’t always rule our Republican majority in the General Assembly. Today, its most valuable currency is extreme partisanship.

It’s a sad day for Virginia when our legislative leaders can agree on a good idea only if their political party can take credit for it.

The inconsistency of their actions last week is just one example of how the General Assembly has approached its job over the past four sessions.

While we’ve been successful on many bipartisan efforts — like workforce development, education, transportation, and serving our veterans — on certain key issues, Republicans have refused to compromise, regardless of the damage it has done to their own constituents.

As with campaign finance reform, I have dedicated considerable time and energy urging the legislature to expand Medicaid and bring our tax dollars back from Washington. We know the benefits: coverage for 400,000 Virginians, $2.4 billion injected annually into our economy, and a lifeline to struggling communities.

They continue to refuse an expansion when 31 states, including many led by conservative Republican governors, embraced it. Even after President Trump’s ACA repeal failed in recent weeks, their answer is still “no.”

Their motivation remains the same as well, and it’s not a complicated one. Hyper-partisanship will ensure they don’t face a primary challenge from the tea party.

For the past four years Republicans have offered excuse after excuse to justify putting politics ahead of the people of Virginia. But last week’s flip-flop affirmed the most cynical explanation: that Republican leaders in Virginia are only interested in solving a problem if it benefits them.

They say they are willing to work with Gillespie. But what happens if Ralph Northam becomes the next governor? Do they reverse their position again? We will still have unresolved campaign finance issues and 400,000 people who struggle to get by without health care.

We hold our elected offices at the will of the people. I hope that when Cox takes the speakership next session, Virginians will come first before political allegiance.