TERRE HAUTE — Democrat Jill Long Thompson followed through on her promise to file a formal complaint Wednesday morning against Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels regarding use of state vehicles during an election year, while the governor’s office reiterated its statement calling the action a “political stunt.”

Long Thompson, Daniels’ opponent in November, began issuing a media release last week asking Daniels to produce flight logs, staff e-mails and other travel records involved in what she alleges was misuse of state vehicles.

She announced Tuesday afternoon in a media conference at the Terre Haute International Airport that Daniels had until 10 a.m. Wednesday to provide the information or she would file a formal request with the state and a complaint with the Office of the Inspector General.

According to the complaint filed Wednesday with the Inspector General, Long Thompson alleges that Daniels used state transportation to attend at least five Lincoln Day Dinners, as well as the state plane to return him to Indiana from a vacation home in West Virginia on July 6.

According to the complaint, Daniels used state aircraft 61 times during all of 2007, but 52 times by July 2008, with notation that 2008 is an election year.

The Long Thompson campaign is requesting an investigation by the Inspector General into the “ethical propriety of these allegations which are based on state records, and to determine whether the governor or his office has used taxpayer dollars for personal use or political purposes.”

According to the governor’s office, a formal request for the information was not received until Wednesday morning.

Instead, they learned about it solely through the media.

According to Jane Jankowski, spokeswoman for the governor, the request is part of an ongoing “political stunt” and “this is more of the same today.”

“We did receive a public information request from the campaign this morning,” she said Wednesday, reiterating her statement that typically requests such as this are made in writing, not press releases.

“We need to know what the request is so that we know what we’re dealing with, rather than hearing about one via the media through a news conference or press release,” she said.

Long Thompson, however, stated in a media release issued Wednesday that her requests issued via the media should have been granted.

“If he has nothing to hide, if he did nothing wrong, then he should come forward and lay it all out for the public to judge for themselves,” she said. “I had hoped, and frankly expected, him to do that by now.”

Jankowski said the governor’s office will process the request and respond “as we do with all other public information requests received.”

However, Jankowski said most requests are “fairly specific in nature” but that this one is broad in its scope of information desired.

But for Long Thompson, the issue is one of public accountability.

“This latest instance just points to the arrogance and sense of entitlement that has pervaded his time in office. He is out of touch with the problems Hoosiers are facing and apparently doesn’t even think he’s accountable to the public,” she said in the media release.

For Jankowski, the issue is simply political campaigning.

“This is a governor who from day one has worked hard to be accessible to all Hoosiers. He’s traveled to all corners of the state whether it’s by plane, or car, or by motorcycle or by whatever mode of transportation that will get him to see the most people and hear what they have to say. He never uses the state plane unless there’s state business to conduct.”

Brian Boyce can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
By Brian M. Boyce
Published: September 10, 2008
Terre Haute Tribune Star