A tax levied on speeding tickets funds the re-election efforts of two-thirds of Arizona’s politicians and provides lawmakers with a personal financial incentive to protect controversial photo enforcement programs. In 1999, a ten percent surcharge was imposed on all traffic tickets to create the “Citizens Clean Election Fund.” The fund allows politicians to avoid tedious fundraising efforts. After raising just $5 each from 220 people in a district, candidates for public office qualify for public financing money to match private expenditures. In effect, these lawmakers collect $16.50 for their campaigns each time a photo radar ticket is issued on an Arizona freeway. This adds up to big money. In 2008, traffic tickets generated $10,095,771 in revenue for the clean elections fund.
Out of this amount, $7,710,739 million was disbursed to lawmakers and candidates during the primary and general elections — an average of $72,063 each. In just the past four months, the new freeway speed camera program has already added another $3.3 million to the total amount collected for lawmakers. Over the past four election cycles, Arizona politicians collected a total of $36,265,795 in campaign cash from the tax on speeding tickets. Opponents of the state photo ticketing program are crying foul.
“Photo radar pays for politicians to get elected,” Shawn Dow, a volunteer for the activist group CameraFraud.com, told TheNewspaper. “Voters want the cameras gone but the politicians want them to stay since it pays for their election. This is the reason that the people believe our government is corrupt.”
Dow raised the election funding issue before the state House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last Thursday while testifying against House Bill 2170. This legislation is portrayed as a repeal of former Governor Janet Napolitano’s freeway photo program, but the text of the proposal actually allows freeway photo ticketing to continue against truckers and other holders of commercial vehicle licenses.
Some of the biggest supporters of photo radar are recipients of significant ticket funding.
“Photo-radar tickets aren’t issued,” state Senator Rebecca Rios (D-Apache Junction) told the Arizona Republic in February 2008. “They’re earned.”
Rios herself earned $35,634 in campaign funds from speeding tickets last year. Other legislators appear less supportive of photo radar by introducing legislation that make minor modifications to the way programs are run.
State Representative John Kavanagh (R-Fountain Hills), for example, introduced House Bill 2722 last year which would have mandated that the profits from any local jurisdiction’s use of a speed camera on a state highway be directed into the Arizona Highway Patrol Fund so that it could be used to fund additional traffic ticketing details. Kavanagh has taken $156,654 in campaign funding from speeding tickets.
The clean elections fund does have other sources of revenue besides traffic tickets. A $5 check-off on income tax forms generated about $6 million which was spent on “voter education” efforts directed by the Citizens Clean Elections Commission. Money left over in the fund from the off-years without elections goes into the general fund.
Wow, I’m in the wrong business! My momma and daddy should have insisted I go into politics.
These cats are making money hand over fist. Nothing to stop them; not even term limits to get rid of ’em! What a nice deal.
This is wrong on so many levels. First its a conflict of interest as mentioned in the article by actually encouraging politicians to ignore the requests of their people.
And how the hell do you tax a fine. Its not a good or service provided by some business, its a damn fine you are already paying to the government and therefore should not be taxable. Just plain wrong.
Some muchraker ought to do a story listing all the things in the AZ budget that AREN’T worthy of dedicated funds, and ask why the pols think they are a priority.
This idea is just stupid.
Wow that’s 36 million dollars that could be helping to close a massive budget deficit.
You know what I’d do with $36,000,000.00?
36 million lottery tickets man, I could turn that into some real dough!
These politicians, I’ve had enough of their kind, and they shall breed no more!
Here in Columbus, city “leaders” are talking about raising revenue by….more red light cameras!! Really? All we heard before is that they were for safety. Hmm, you mean like the cops that have been laid off were for safety?
John
“Photo-radar tickets aren’t issued,” state Senator Rebecca Rios (D-Apache Junction) told the Arizona Republic in February 2008. “They’re earned.”
Rios herself earned $35,634 in campaign funds
Then I’m sure Rebecca would have no problem with here campaign donating that $35k to charity, right? After all it’s for the good of all. Think of the children! ™
Let’s hope the good voters of the Grand Canyon State do their civic duty and vote these corrupt a-holes out of office at the next opportunity.
What’s keeping shit like this out of the Supreme Court? I can hardly see how something that amounts to a computerized ticket writing machine is constitutional. Add to that the conflict of interest, as charlesj noted, and there’s got to be a way to get it thrown out. Tickets should be required to be written by humans so that the accused can face his accuser, a right we’re all supposed to have. A government for the people, by the people my ass.
“Photo-radar tickets aren’t issued,” state Senator Rebecca Rios (D-Apache Junction) told the Arizona Republic in February 2008. “They’re earned.”
It is nice to know that Ms. Rios is a grade-a douchebag, and isn’t afraid to show the public what a douchebag she is.
The idea of a “clean election” is a noble one, but I fail to see how one can legislate themselves a clean election when there is such obvious impropriety in the funding method.
When asked about this possible conflict of interest an elected state official who wished to remain nameless said
“We gave you MTV and Hot ‘n Spicy Wings; pre-cooked, ready-to-heat-‘n-eat…can’t you monkeys just be happy???”
What kind of sub sentient backmarker would even consider voting these monkeys back into office?
Back when Arizona was civilized, self dealing riff raff like these politicians would be shot on sight.
Some animals are more than others.
Wow. And there are people proposing government funded elections on a national level to clean up politics. Should we use Arizona as a model?