Editorial Board | The Arizona Republic
It has been a long time since anyone has taken a political fall with quite the enthusiasm of Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Glenn Hamer, who is taking all the responsibility for a campaign-funding scandal.
In addition to his day job with the chamber, Hamer is on the board of a non-profit organization that supports business-friendly political candidates, the Arizona Business Coalition.
Two of ABC’s funders, Arizona Public Service and Southwest Gas, have policies that forbid spending money on the campaigns of officials who may regulate them. Two utility executives are on the coalition’s board. So, the non-profit has a policy against helping Arizona Corporation Commission candidates. It just wouldn’t be right.
Hamer said he made a command decision in 2012 — without anyone else’s knowledge — to send $7,500 to another non-profit that gets involved in Corporation Commission campaigns.
