Friday, February 3rd, 2006...2:25 pm
Salmon Uses Republican Committee to Promote Client
I was inadvertently steered to this story by Espresso Pundit, who really only was interested in it because it also included an item taking a shot at Chip Scutari. He looks like Richard Hatch! Does that mean Robbie Sherwood looks like Dirk Benedict?
Anyhow, I found the rest of the column more interesting. Apparently, Republican Chairman Matt Salmon managed to push a resolution through the State Committee that stated:
Resolved, That the Arizona Republican Party calls upon the State of Arizona and the Federal government of the United States to more aggressively promote the development and use of renewable energy sources.
Nice, but strange given that the Republicans in this state have rarely been that keen on such things, considering anyone who brings issues like this up in public as a squishy tree hugger, even worse, maybe a reader.
Not only did Salmon make sure the resolution got introduced, but he cut off discussion early and rammed it through.
The resolution apparently called on the Corporation Commission to increase the ammount of energy that our state’s utilities get from alternative sources like solar energy. A great goal. Not a bad idea at all. Renz Jennings used to do this sort of thing all the time when he was a commissioner.
So, that begs the question, since when are Republicans the least bit interested in such things?
Matt Salmon is a lobbyist. In the past, Salmon was registered to lobby for the Arizona Solar Energy Industries Association. Apparently this issue will be before the Corporation Commission in the next few weeks. I don’t have a problem with a lobbyist leading a state party. Even though being a state party chairman is a quasi-public office, it doesn’t possess the real constitutional power of a state legislator or county row officer. However, this seems to be sketchy.
It is really hard for me to get too riled up when he is pushing solar power. It’s kind of amusing, actually. But it strikes me as ethically marginal to use even the very limited power of state party chairmanship in service to a private client.
1 Comment
February 3rd, 2006 at 5:49 pm
Par for the course, my friend. Par for the course.