Ethics questions keep swirling for governor :mad:

Texas Tribune 8/24/10
Perry's Appointed Regents Are Big Donors
In an election season marked by fights over the connection between campaign contributions and political appointments, members of the state's boards of regents continue to dominate the landscape.

Over the past decade, the men and women chosen by Gov. Rick Perry to govern state universities have given his campaigns at least $5.8 million, according to an analysis by The Texas Tribune. About half of the governor’s appointed regents gave to his campaign; of those who gave, the average total given was about $64,000. The top giver, University of Texas System Regent Paul Foster, gave nearly $400,000.

In total, Perry has collected nearly $90 million in donations over the past decade. At least $10 million has come from appointees to various boards and commissions — and more than half of that money has come from regents, who earn no salary but can be reimbursed for travel and other fees incurred for official business; they also collect perks ranging from reserved parking to free tickets to football games, though the latter has itself been a cause of some controversy over the years.