'Campaign gambling losses'

Short take: 'Campaign gambling losses'

Brenda Council

Brenda Council, a Democratic member of the Nebraska Senate.

Brenda Council should have talked to Robin Wright-Jones.

Ms. Council, a Democrat in the Nebraska Senate, last week pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges of abuse of public records. Records suggested that Ms. Council may have used nearly $100,000 in campaign funds to gamble at casinos.

Ms. Council said she had "borrowed" the money from the campaign account and was in the process of paying it back. She said she was receiving counseling for a gambling addiction.

Ms. Council did not report the gambling expenses on campaign disclosure forms, which is where Ms. Wright-Jones' advice could have helped. Ms. Wright-Jones is a member of the Missouri Senate, though she lost a primary bid last month.

When she got in trouble last year for spending campaign money on a shopping spree at the Galleria, she solved the problem by brazenly reporting the expenditures for items like "campaign shoes," "campaign clothing" and "campaign watch batteries."

If Ms. Council had listed "campaign gambling losses," she might have gotten away with it. Unless Nebraska is tougher than Missouri. It would be hard not to be.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/opinion/columns/the-platform/short-take-campaign-gambling-losses/article_213d03a2-01fa-5a93-a1e3-4864d2fb31f7.html