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“Aiming Higher” was the theme of Mitch Daniels’ 2004 campaign for governor. His 2008 re-election campaign appears to be taking the theme literally: He’s a frequent flyer at taxpayer expense.
For a report Sunday, The Journal Gazette’s Niki Kelly looked at the governor’s travel records for the past 19 months and found that Daniels flew in one of the state airplanes or helicopters 113 times. While some of the trips were to survey storm damage or announce new jobs, he made numerous trips to parades, festivals, ground-breakings and GOP Lincoln Day dinners. The state police plane even picked the governor up at his West Virginia vacation home to deliver him to a regatta, where he presented a trophy.
Daniels’ travel has increased during this election year. He flew 52 times in the first seven months of 2008 – a 48 percent increase over the same period last year.
“We are fully confident every one of his trips is the most efficient use of his time, which is extremely valuable, and we certainly wouldn’t tell him how he should go from Point A to Point B,” said Murray Clark, chairman of the Indiana Republican Party.
The governor’s time is valuable, indeed. But as a candidate, he criticized previous administrations for lax standards and pledged to “establish higher requirements of openness and ethical behavior throughout state government.” So it is not unreasonable for voters to expect that as an officeholder, he would take greater care in separating politics from public service.
Instead, Daniels has repeatedly blurred the line between campaigning and day-to-day obligations. In his first year in office, the governor traveled in RV1, a luxury motor coach donated for his use by Oregon-based Monaco Coach Corp., to a campaign fish fry for a Vincennes legislator. According to reports at the time, families paid $25 to attend the fundraiser, where they shook hands with Daniels and took a tour of RV1.
After state Democrats filed a complaint charging state property was used for political purposes, the inspector general – appointed by Daniels – cleared the governor of wrongdoing.
“Going forward, the governor does not intend to take RV1 to political events,” his chief of staff announced at the time. “Even though it is ethical, legal and would actually save taxpayer money, he sees no sense in fueling a contrived political controversy.”
Instead, taxpayers have been left to fuel numerous trips that appear no less political than the Vincennes fish fry. They’ve spent $107,000 on fuel for the governor’s flights since the start of 2007.
Daniels should set an example in aiming higher by grounding the questionable travel. If his schedule doesn’t allow for the travel time by car, the governor should tap his own campaign chest for trips that are clearly for political purposes.
