Just Say No

A couple of months ago, I blogged on the unusual Alaska-Florida political bridge. Rep. Don Young (Republican-Alaska) inserted an earmark into a bill that would give a Florida county $10 million to build a highway interchange that just happened to nestle against property owned by a campaign contributor. In today's NY Times we learn that the local officials, offended by the smell, declined the congressman's largesse and sent the money back to Washington.

It is not often that a local government tries to turn down $10 million in federal construction money.

But then it is not every day that an Alaska congressman surprises a Florida community with the gift of a highway interchange that just happens to abut the property of a major political fund-raiser.

The money for the interchange was the work of Representative Don Young, the Alaska Republican who was chairman of the transportation committee before the last election.

Officials of Lee County considered the project a low priority, environmental groups opposed it and the Republican congressman from the district never asked for it.

But the interchange, on Interstate 75 at a place called Coconut Road, would be a boon to Daniel J. Aronoff, a Michigan real estate developer with adjacent property who helped raise $40,000 in donations to Mr. Young at a fund-raiser in the region shortly before Mr. Young inserted an earmark for the project in a transportation bill. [Emphasis added]

The article also suggests that a little research showed that Mr. Young inserted the earmark into the bill after it had been approved by both houses and during the period when all that remained was cleaning up the language in the bill before submitting it to the President for signature.

All things considered, the Lee County officials did the right thing by sending the money back. There appears to be some resurgence of integrity in government, at least at some levels.