OPINION

MIKE MASTERSON: How deep and wide?

The unholy relationship between some lobbyists and lawmakers to betray the trusting taxpayers was never more apparent than the recent plea bargain struck by lobbyist Milton Cranford, affectionately known to recipients of his largesse as “Rusty.”

The continuing saga of this good-ol’-boy scheme with legislators to personally pocket our money is ugly and contorted as described by ace veteran reporter Doug Thompson. The bottom line thus far, he writes: Cranford pleaded guilty to paying off Arkansas lawmakers between 2010 and 2017, when he departed after serving as both a lobbyist and the director of Preferred Family Healthcare’s operations in our state.

One winner in “Trusty Rusty’s” game even joked about the tax-funded grants bound for their billfolds as, “Santa is coming,” according to one email exchange.

To date, a federal investigation already has charged no fewer than five former legislators with illegally accepting our tax monies in exchange for favors and supporting legislation favorable to them and special interests.

Thompson spelled out such backroom maneuvering in an informative enterprise story the other day. Reading the details was enough to give me painful gas.

Mercy me, folks, is it possible to become a public servant anymore without joining in schemes (likely concocted at Little Rock’s top-shelf watering holes) to enrich oneself at the public trough?

I can practically hear the conversation now: “Hey, listen up. You’re missing out if you don’t get into this General Improvement Grant dealy. It’s so simple. They use me as their elected lawmaker. We use them for an idea to improve life in their town. We get the idea rubber-stamped, then funded, and we split the spoils. Is this a great state for public service or what?”

Reading Thompson’s article doesn’t instill much hope for a change of attitude. Greed appears to permeate the political process, especially when a crooked lobbyist with lots of payoff money to share gets involved in facilitating widespread corruption.

The primary recipient of Trusty Rusty’s lobbying efforts was the Springfield, Mo.-based Preferred Family. He did such a good job at arranging grants through legislators that the chief financial officer for this firm (which provides behavioral health services and substance abuse counseling in five states and 47 Arkansas locations) emailed Cranford: “Awesome on the mil [million dollar grant],” adding “Santa is coming.”

Cranford replied, “I need Santa.” Turns out the lobbyist actually needed at least several willing lawmakers strolling marble hallways in silk ties, polished wingtips and high-dollar suits. Cranford also emailed the same executive in 2012 to say: “Welcome to campaign season and 2012. ‘The YEAR of The Greed’ is what it is called! We documented the big big checks so you would know who these people are, it came to $7,000” for one week in campaign contribution to to state elected officials.

After pleading guilty to the bribery charge in Missouri’s Western District federal court, Cranford faces up to 10 years in prison and three years of supervised release, plus he has to forfeit $3.7 million. Other charges were dropped.

He was never charged in the federal investigation in Arkansas where former Sen. Jon Woods was convicted. Woods was even given World Series tickets by Preferred Family. And his fiancee wound up with a cushy $70,000-per-year job there after he helped secure a million-dollar grant for the company.

As for previous “public servants,” the ongoing federal corruption probe thus far has led to convictions of these former Arkansas lawmakers: Woods; Reps. Eddie Cooper, Micah Neal, and Henry “Hank” Wilkins IV; and Sen. Jake Files. A second current senator stands accused but not charged with bribery, according to court records.

Files is the only former lawmaker in this notorious group not charged with at least one count in the bribery scheme involving Cranford and Preferred Family, court records show. His conviction was for fraud and money laundering. He’s also the focus of a state prosecutor’s probe into an $80,000 wire transfer into Files’ business account from nursing home industry executive David Norsworthy in 2014.

How widespread is this clan of lawmakers run amok? Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Hendren wants new laws that would reform the lawmaking culture. Good idea, especially since they also underhandedly arranged to extend their own term limits.

These latest convictions and accusations certainly should be enough to make every taxpaying Arkansan grab their lantern and join ol’ Diogenes in search of an elected honest man (or woman) who actually prefers to serve others rather than themselves.

More highway robbery

Complaints over what appear to be traffic enforcement traps across our state continue arriving from angry motorists forced to pay exorbitant, often questionable, fines into small communities’ coffers.

There appears to be a definite pattern where towns often forgo radar detection in favor of local ordinances alleging vague and subjective offenses such as “ inattentive” or “imprudent” driving and even “dim taillights.”

Those who obediently pay the fines ranging between $200 and $350 are told they “fortunately” will avoid having those charges appear on their driving record.

One man writes: “Want to add another one? Wabbaseka is a town of 241 and almost every time I go through they have someone stopped. I watch my speed every time heading out of town. This month they got me for accelerating before the 55 mph sign. Thanks for what you’re doing. How does a town of this size have policemen and a car?”

Two other men in separate vehicles were cited along Arkansas 110 in Heber Springs the other day. One was pulled over while the other wasn’t. However, the officer instructed the one he’d stopped to summon the other back where he wrote him a ticket for “imprudent driving,” although the second man said he was never clocked by radar. They say they were told that by paying the tickets, they wouldn’t show on their driving records.

Looks like it’s high time for prosecutors in those counties to examine the citation-writing practices of these communities.

Mike Masterson is a longtime Arkansas journalist. Email him at [email protected].

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