The Times on Political Freelancers

Yesterday’s Times reports:

Four years ago, the Internet was a Wild West that caused the occasional headache for the campaigns but for the most part remained segregated from them. This year, the development of cheap new editing programs and fast video distribution through sites like YouTube has broken down the barriers, empowering a new generation of largely unregulated political warriors who can affect the campaign dialogue faster and with more impact than the traditional opposition research shops.

Already there are signs that these less formal and more individual efforts are filling a vacuum created by a decline in activity among the independent advocacy groups — so-called 527s and similar operations — that have played a large role in negative politics in the last several election cycles. Especially on the conservative side, independent groups have reported trouble raising money, and some of the biggest players from 2004 have signaled that they will sit it out this time around.

Reporting in Atlantic City

This story covers reporting by candidates for mayor in Atlantic City, NJ.

Outgoing Mayor Scott Evans dominated fundraising throughout the Democratic primary for mayor, including a $34,000 installment a day before the election.Former Mayor Lorenzo Langford rebounded from a poor financial start to cut his opponent’s lead in half by raising nearly $45,000 with just two weeks left in the campaign.

All three mayoral candidates likely spent much more, but right now, there’s no way of knowing – none of them filed his final campaign finance report on time.

Vacancies on Louisiana Board

WBRZ reports that the Louisiana Board of Ethics will have more vacancies and discusses the impact of the departures on the agency.

Mass resignations from the Louisiana Board of Ethics will bring to a halt the policing of conflicts of interest, nepotism, campaign finance and other state ethics laws, a legislative floor leader for Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday.

Meanwhile, the 11-member Ethics Board lost two more panelists Friday. That leaves two members, only one of whom says he is certain to stay on a board stripped by Jindal and the Legislature of its power to decide whether laws have been violated.