Only two days after being sworn in and twelve hours before it would have been illegal, Brian Kemp executed his first order of business – a dash for the cash of special interests he would be regulating the very next morning.
Last Sunday, on the eve of the legislative session, Kemp was entertained by lobbyists and special interests at an establishment frequented by Capitol regulars with the goal of collecting last-minute campaign cash. State law does not allow constitutional officers to raise funds during the legislative session.
“It’s disappointing to see that his first priority as Secretary of State was to send out an invitation to hundreds of lobbyists and special interests asking for the maximum contribution —a group of individuals he will be regulating the very next morning,” said MacGinnitie.
In contrast, MacGinnitie chose to over disclose on his latest financial report. He reported every donation collected during the 2009 period as well as any donations collected during the seven day grace period.
“It was important to me, especially on the eve of session, that Georgians know where I’m getting my money. So, I went out of my way to be transparent and accountable to the voters,” said MacGinnitie.
Our system was designed so that citizens know who funded leaders’ campaigns before they take office. Since Kemp is an unelected Secretary of State and he chose to not disclose his last-minute special interest fundraiser, Georgians will not know who contributed to Kemp’s campaign and who could have undue influence on his decision making.
“I call on Brian Kemp to join me in being completely transparent with the voters of Georgia. I challenge him to fully disclose all donations he received that evening along with the name and occupation of the donors. It’s just the right thing to do,” said MacGinnitie.
MacGinnitie co-founded and served as Chief Operating Officer for Beecher Carlson, a commercial insurance brokerage firm based in Atlanta that today has over 550 employees and a nationwide footprint. He is a graduate of Emory Law School, worked as an associate at Alston & Bird, was Chief Counsel for Georgia Pacific, and served as General Counsel for Hobbs Group. Doug attended elementary and high school in DeKalb County. Doug and his wife, Missy, have three children and are members of Dunwoody Methodist Church.
