(MPRN-Lansing) A nationwide project says Michigan has the weakest government ethics and transparency standards of all the states.
The Center for Public Integrity report says Michigan elected officials don’t have to disclose personal finances and potential conflicts of interest. It also says the state allows campaign spending by groups that don’t have to disclose their donors.
The Michigan Campaign Finance Network says a third of the spending in last year’s campaigns for governor, the Legislature, and the state Supreme Court was so-called “dark money.”
State Representative Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo) says the public has a right to be skeptical.
“Dark money that comes from people whose names we don’t disclose cannot help but have a corrupting influence on the process.”
Hoadley is also calling for the governor’s office and the Legislature to be subject to the Freedom of Information Act.
