Background on FPPC Leader

The San Jose Mercury News interviews the head of California’s FPPC, Ross Johnson, a former legislator.  The Federal Election Administration Act of 2007, a law reorganzing the FEC, appeared to have barred some elected officials and former elected officials from serving as commissioner:

`(B) An individual may not be appointed under paragraph (1) if–

`(i) such individual is serving or has served as a member of the Federal Election Commission subject to a term limit; or

`(ii) at any time during the 4-year period ending on the date of the nomination of such individual, the individual was 

 `(I) a candidate, an employee of a candidate, or an attorney for a candidate;

 `(II) an elected officeholder, an employee of an elected officeholder, or an attorney for an elected officeholder;

 `(III) an officer or employee of a political party or an attorney for a political party; or

  ‘(IV) employed in a position in the executive branch of the Government of a confidential or policy-determining character under Schedule C of subpart C of part 213 of title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Iowa: Candidate’s Involvement with Outside Group Questioned

The Des Moines Register reports a controversy surrounding a candidate’s involvement with an outside group he formed to promote issues. 

U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell is questioning the campaign ethics of his challenger, Ed Fallon, in what has become an increasingly tense Democratic primary for Iowa’s 3rd U.S. House District.

Boswell’s campaign wrote in an e-mail to supporters last week that “ethical questions have emerged” about an organization Fallon formed after losing the 2006 gubernatorial primary.

The questions are whether Fallon, a former state representative from Des Moines, used the group called I’M for Iowa to promote his candidacy for Congress and, if he did, whether that violates federal campaign regulations.

Boswell has stopped short of accusing Fallon of campaign violations, but raised the specter of wrongdoing in the e-mail. The issue has bubbled up as Fallon and Boswell have stepped up their attacks on each other, with roughly two months until the primary.

“Ethical questions have emerged surrounding Ed Fallon’s leadership and work with” I’M for Iowa, the message from Boswell’s campaign manager Scott Ourth said.

Fallon said he has tried to keep his campaign activity separate from I’M for Iowa. Boswell, Fallon added, is attacking him on campaign finance ethics because Bos-well received the bulk of his campaign contributions from political action committees.