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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW One plant too many: Medical marijuana grower sentenced to jail ... Man pleads guilty in meth, heroin case ... Talent asphalt plant fined $35,000 ... One plant too many: Medical marijuana grower sentenced to jail ... Man pleads guilty in meth, heroin case ... Talent asphalt plant fined $35,000 ... OUR VIEW Our View: Breidenthal's denials don't change facts Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 20, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated Jan 20, 2016 at 7:14 AM Posted Jan. 20, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated Jan 20, 2016 at 7:14 AM » Social News Commissioner Doug Breidenthal says the rules are not clear regarding campaigning for positions with national groups such as the Western Interstate Region of the National Association of Counties, and he promises to ask the Legislature to fix that. Clear rules would be a good idea, but Breidenthal is hardly the best champion of that action as long as he has an ethics complaint hanging over his head. Breidenthal continues to insist he did nothing wrong when he solicited more than $10,000 in contributions from corporations and organizations that have an interest in how he votes as a Jackson County commissioner. Among other things, the money paid for lodging and other travel expenses for his wife and an associate who were helping Breidenthal campaign for an elected position on the board of the Western Interstate Region group. The Oregon Government Ethics Commission, however, unanimously agreed that Breidenthal may have violated Oregon ethics laws that prohibit an elected official from accepting gifts worth more than $50 from an entity with a legislative or administrative interest in the business of the county. Donors to Breidenthal's campaign account held by the Association of Oregon Counties include Murphy Lumber Co., Southern Oregon Timber Industries, the Coquille Indian Tribe, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Indians and Combine Transport. Breidenthal argues that the Ethics Commission didn't have time to determine that the allegations against him were groundless because the state had shortened the time limit for reviewing a complaint from 150 days to 30 days. The 30-day deadline is not for making a decision on the merits of the charges. It is to limit the time the commission can wait before starting a full investigation. If he is innocent of any violation, Breidenthal should welcome the chance to get the investigation under way sooner. In a statement responding to the Ethics Commission report, Breidenthal insists he went out of his way to seek advice on the campaign account and make sure everything was done properly. What is still unclear is why he needed to raise and spend $10,000 to run for a board position when the voters were all fellow elected officials. The chairman of the WIR board says he paid for his campaign out of his own pocket, and did not set up a separate account. Regardless of what Breidenthal says, there's a simple fact that's hard to ignore: He solicited funds from groups that do business with the county and didn't report it. Perhaps there's some technicality or loophole that would allow him to escape censure from the state, but he cannot escape the public knowledge that what he did was wrong. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Jan. 20, 2016 at 2:00 AM Updated Jan 20, 2016 at 7:14 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501