BIZ BACK FROM THE DEAD. Roll Call. “An under-the-radar special election in Alabama next week will provide the first post-shutdown test case for moderate, business-friendly Republicans seeking to neutralize the GOP’s tea party faction that nearly led the country to credit default earlier this month.”
RELATIVE FRIGHT. Here. “As a former House staffer, I’m pretty sure members are not allowed to hire relatives to work in their offices. What’s the deal?”
TAX ISSUE SCARE. Here. “The Office of Congressional Ethics has ended its preliminary review of a 2011 incident in which Rep. Tom Reed, R-Corning, inadvertently paid a personal tax bill with campaign funds.”
MYSTERIOUS MEMO. See the attachment to a recently released Statement of Reasons in MUR 6543.
CA: CREEPY RESOLUTION. Here. “The California Fair Political Practices Commission has issued a formal warning to San Diego Superior Court Judge Gary Kreep, closing an ethics complaint that was filed against him over campaign funding issues.”
CA: “DARK MONEY” CRIES. LAT. “When the sky became the limit for most political spending after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, the skywatchers like Ann Ravel had to readjust their telescopes.”
CA: INFLAMING FEARS. Mercury News. “But what’s needed, at minimum, is a federal Disclose Act, which is stalled in Congress.”
CT: FRIGHTFUL FINANCING. The Courant. “Hartford has a chance to join the 16 or so other cities nationwide that successfully use public campaign financing for local elections.”
NV: PULLING THE PLUG. Here. “Gov. Brian Sandoval pulled the plug Tuesday on a program that offered video chats and lunch with the state’s chief executive in exchange for monthly campaign donations.”
NY: HIRING HORROR. Here. “Following some rare public discord, the members of the Joint Commission on Public Ethics on Tuesday announced the hiring of a lawyer close to Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the integrity operation’s new executive director.”
NY: INFERNAL BAN. NY Daily News. “The Queens City Council hopeful is an Air Force vet, a retired NYPD captain, and — thanks to the city Campaign Finance Board’s rulebook — pictured without his American flag lapel pin in his official candidate photo.”
TX: SECRETS OF THE COMMISSION. Here. “State ethics regulators are weighing complaints sparked by the political campaigning and legislative influence of the conservative gadfly Michael Quinn Sullivan, Empower Texans and related organizations. But you won’t get a chance to watch most of it.”
VA: BLOODBATH? The Hill. “Three new polls released Wednesday found Democrat Terry McAuliffe (D) remains the front-runner in Virginia’s race for governor — but each painted markedly different pictures of the state of the race.”
VA: THE WALKING DEADLINE. Here. “Failure to file a campaign finance report update that was due Monday will cost Montgomery County Board of Supervisors incumbent Jim Politis at least $100, according to county Voter Registrar Randy Wertz.”
WA: GRISLY DEAL. Here. “The political action committee for Seattle’s Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce has reached a preliminary deal with the city’s Ethics Commission over a complaint that it broke election rules to help Ed Murray’s mayoral campaign.”
HAVE A GREAT HALLOWEEN.