Editorial: Senior legislator Kenley should have known better

xSpecial Editorial Series: Access to Power

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November 23, 2009

Anonymous The Herald Bulletin Mon Nov 23, 2009, 10:23 PM EST

Luke Kenley, a member of the Indiana Senate for almost 18 years, should have known better.

In May, Kenley, chairman of both the State Budget Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, used six tickets worth $876 to watch the Kentucky Derby with his family in a suite at Churchill Downs.

Centaur Inc., which supplied the tickets, was at the time pressing the state for hefty tax breaks on its Hoosier Park racino in Anderson. As one of the state’s key players on fiscal policy, Kenley was in a position to sign off on a tax cut for the racino.

Kenley, R-Noblesville, contends that Centaur “made a bad bet” if company executives thought the tickets would influence his decision-making. He notes that he helped block the proposed tax break in this year’s regular and special sessions.

The senator, whose district includes a portion of Madison County, also says he asked a lobbyist — former state Rep. Matthew Whetstone — to supply the tickets but was unaware that Centaur would underwrite the cost. He says he offered to pay for the seats after learning of Centaur’s involvement.

Kenley has earned a reputation as a fair and thoughtful leader inside the Statehouse. But he exercised terrible judgment in asking a lobbyist for a plush handout — one not available to the great majority of Kenley’s constituents.

The fact that Kenley can plausibly argue that he went against his benefactor’s wishes this year is beside the point. What happens the next time Centaur pushes in the General Assembly for tax breaks or an expansion of its business interests? The perception that Kenley may have been compromised will linger, as it does every time a legislator accepts an expensive gift from a lobbyist.

The incident also highlights just how comfortable lawmakers are in seeking out favors from lobbyists. And, as is often the case in the General Assembly, the lobbyist was a former legislative colleague who now trolls the Statehouse on behalf of clients.

The legislature needs to adopt two common-sense reforms to end such conflicts: Bar lawmakers from accepting gifts worth more than $50 from lobbyists; and require legislators to wait one year after leaving office before working as a paid lobbyist.

In Luke Kenley’s case, a good lawmaker was caught in a compromising position. It shouldn’t be allowed to happen again.

— The Indianapolis Star

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Editorial: Senior legislator Kenley should have known better

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