LINCOLN — The e-Bay advertisement for two tickets to Saturday’s Nebraska-Western Kentucky football game was pretty enticing.
“Great location ... on 40 yard line, close to the field!” it read. “This is where the NE state senators sit! Donated by Senator Gwen Howard as a fundraiser for neighborhood group. This is a great opportunity to see NU football up close!”
The tickets were sold for $250, which will benefit the Alcohol Impact Coalition, which opposes liquor sales in high-crime areas of Omaha.
Howard is one of 14 senators who received free NU football tickets from the University of Nebraska last year, according to state lobbying records.
While senators say they primarily turn over the freebies to churches and other groups in their districts for raffles, the watchdog group Common Cause said it’s a way the university curries favor with lawmakers who oversee their budget and policies.
Even senators who pay for their tickets are getting a special favor, said Jack Gould of Common Cause Nebraska.
NU records for this year indicate that four of the 49 state senators turned down an offer of season football tickets: Brad Ashford, Bill Avery, Tony Fulton and Tom White. Thirty-one paid for them, and 14 accepted them without paying.
NU lobbyist Ron Withem, a former state senator, said the giveaways are part of a long tradition of familiarizing senators with the university. He doesn’t think it curries favor.
“It’s such an ingrained part of the relationship between the university and senators that it doesn’t make a lot of difference,” Withem said.
Senators are required to report gifts worth more than $100, which includes the football tickets.
Last year, four had not reported the tickets: Sens. Howard, Abbie Cornett, Cap Dierks and Bob Giese.
Howard said Thursday she had already corrected the omission and hadn’t realized she needed to report the gift since she had passed it on to a charitable group.
Gould said all gifts to elected officials should be banned, even those simply given to others. “That’s not an act of charity,” he said. “It’s a great campaign tool.”
Other senators who accepted free NU season football tickets in 2009 and 2010 were Colby Coash, Annette Dubas, Ken Haar, Russ Karpisek, Scott Lautenbaugh, Danielle Conrad, Rich Pahls, Scott Price and Kent Rogert. Sen. Deb Fischer, records indicated, accepted two free press box tickets for one game in 2009.
In 2010, Sen. Brenda Council also took free NU season tickets. Fischer paid for her tickets this year.
By law, senators can use campaign funds to pay for the tickets if the tickets are then donated but cannot use such funds for personal use.
Contact the writer:
402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com
Copyright ©2012 Omaha World-Herald®. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, displayed or redistributed for any purpose without permission from the Omaha World-Herald.
