“Go on, take the money and run”

— Steve Miller Band

THE RECENT CONTRETEMPS surrounding U.S. Sen. Jack Reed’s ties to financial institutions that he oversees is troubling. Congress is awash in campaign contributions largely from interested (very interested) parties that wish to influence federal legislation.

Rhode Island’s General Assembly is a microcosm of Congress; thus it is instructional to study the role campaign contributions play here in Rhode Island. Remember, this General Assembly is, in part, responsible for the significant recession that our state suffers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Rhode Island’s 8.8 percent unemployment rate ranks highest in the entire country.

Campaign contribution limits are defined in Rhode Island General Laws 17-25-10.1. Under the law:

A candidate may contribute up to any level.

An individual contributor in a calendar year is limited to $1,000 to each candidate, with an aggregate of $10,000.

Political action committees (PACs) can contribute up to $25,000 in aggregate.

The Web page of the state Board of Elections is www.ricampaignfinance.com/ripublic/contribution.spx. It is the source of my research on contributions during the 2007-08 General Assembly session. I focused in on the period from Jan. 1, 2007, through Sept. 15, 2008.

Over this period, the incumbents (75 representatives and 38 senators) received some $2 million. A whopping $850,000 — or 43 percent of that sum — flowed to the top leadership. That would include the House speaker, the Senate president, the two majority leaders and the two Finance Committee chairmen. Fully half of this swag found its way into the coffers of Speaker William Murphy and Senate President Joseph Montalbano. This money, coincidentally, was just about evenly shared, with Murphy receiving $250,000 and Montalbano pulling in $215,000.

One might think that the majority leaders (Senate Leader M. Teresa Paiva-Weed and House Leader Gordon Fox) would take in the next highest amounts; but one would be wrong. The two Finance Committee chairmen came in second; and they were pretty evenly matched, with House Finance Chairman Steven M. Costantino and Senate Finance Chairman Stephen Alves each raking in $110,500. That great political scientist, Willie Sutton, really put his fingers on the pulse when he remarked that he robbed banks “because that’s where the money is!”

Rounding out the top 10 recipients of this largess were those labor legislators, Sen. Domenic Ruggerio and Sen. Frank Ciccone III, followed by Rep. Arthur Corvese, chairman of the House Labor Committee, and Rep. Brian P. Kennedy, chairman of the powerful Corporations Committee.

An examination of the origins of these contributions is at once informative and indicative of our state’s current predicament.

Of the $700,000 from special-interest groups, some $400,000 came from organized labor. Sub groupings of the Laborers International Union, all sharing a common address, proffered $52,200 over the legislative session. Other large public labor organizations contributing to these campaign funds included:

• $32,720, Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers PAC

• $21,970, National Education Association/Rhode Island PAC

• $17,220, Rhode Island Federation of Teachers PAC

• $12,7000, Rhode Island State Troopers PAC

Among the PACs, the prize for irony is awarded to the Verizon Good Government Club!

Big lobbyists also contributed significantly to the campaign coffers of our well-healed leadership. Much of this has already been reported, as in my July 6, 2007, Commentary piece (“Potholes on road to R.I. lobbying data”).

In addition to major lobbyists and PACs, individuals contribute to campaign funds. In the 2007-08 data, individual contributions ranged from $10 to $1,000. As many as 188 $1,000 checks were showered on the General Assembly during that one session. Several individuals wrote five checks for $1,000; and many of these individuals are familiar Rhode Island luminaries. They really must approve of the whiz-bang job the leadership is doing!

Interestingly, in spite of his huge stash, the aforementioned Senate Chairman Stephen Alves recently lost his primary race to Michael Pinga, a baker and first-time candidate. Mr. Pinga had raised a paltry $7,300, and none of his contributions came from labor PACs, business PACs, lobbyists or the usual fat cats. So there is some hope. Voters can make a difference.

Campaign-finance data make evident that familiar contributors continue to be a major source of influence on our entrenched incumbents. Incumbents often do “take the money and run,” and money helps them win.

As Mr. Pinga’s victory has demonstrated, however, voters can effect change. On Tuesday, your vote will have the same value as that of any major contributor. Use it well and make the fat cats rue their investments.

William E. Colleran is an engineer.