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Burke accused of soliciting in Capitol
10:31 AM
6/27/02
Dee J. Hall Wisconsin State Journal
indentWhen a Wisconsin Dental Association lobbyist called on Sen. Brian Burke last year, she found the Democrat in full campaign mode, even though the election for state attorney general was 18 months away.
indentShe met with Burke and two aides on March 20, 2001, at Burke's Capitol office to discuss increased funding for rural dental care in Wisconsin. She left the meeting with a request from Burke for a $10,000 campaign donation - and a promise by him to draft an amendment to the state budget, according to an 18-count criminal complaint filed Wednesday against the co-chairman of the Legislature's powerful budget committee.
indentThe meeting was one of five in March and April of 2001 listed in the complaint in which Burke allegedly met with lobbyists to discuss state business and then solicited them for campaign contributions.
indentFor that alleged activity, Burke is charged with soliciting campaign contributions on state property and misconduct in public office. He hasn't been charged with bribery or extortion, Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard emphasized.
indentAccording to the complaint, "The lobbyist said the WDA wanted Burke to introduce a bill as a budget amendment involving dental care in rural areas. After they discussed legislative issues, Burke asked the lobbyist what the WDA could do for his A.G. campaign, referring to a contribution. The lobbyist appeared uncomfortable. The lobbyist said that (s)he would check to see how much money was available. Burke asked if the WDA could contribute $10,000. The lobbyist said that (s)he thought they could."
indentAlso meeting with the unnamed lobbyist were Burke aides Julie Swiderski and Raghu Devaguptapu. The 34-page complaint alleges that Devaguptapu, who earned $54,000 a year, was hired onto Burke's public payroll to be the full-time fund-raiser for the Friends of Brian Burke campaign. Swiderski, who earned $43,560 a year, was described as refusing to do campaign work at the Senate office.
indent"As the meeting was breaking up, Burke asked Swiderski to get the budget amendment drafted ...," the complaint said.
indentIn the three months after the meeting, the dental association political action committee gave $8,000 to Burke, although the amendment failed, the complaint said.
indentLater in 2001, the complaint said, Devaguptapu wrote a guide to lobbyists for Burke aide Katherine Heringlake, a $34,200-a-year state employee preparing to take over Devaguptapu's campaign fund-raising duties. In it, Devaguptapu described the dental association representative as "a good lobbyist who gets it ... they did $10,000 in PAC to Brian this year. All we did for them was Dental Access," the complaint said.
indentDennis McGuire, executive director of the Milwaukee-based dental association, denied that the 2001 contributions to Burke were designed to bring about legislation favorable to dentists. "We don't operate that way," McGuire said.
indentHe said the association gave money to Burke because the Milwaukee senator is a "staunch supporter" of issues important to dentists, such as getting the state to boost its 60 percent reimbursement rate for dentists who treat Medicaid patients.
indent"Basically, the state is asking us to give away dental care," McGuire said. "We've been trying to get the state to understand we have a dental access problem, and the only way to solve the problem is to throw some money at it. He (Burke) is one of the few (lawmakers) who understands that."
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