“There’s a concern you’ve got bad motives.” This is what State Representative Harvey Hilderbran said to Giovanni Capriglione during a committee hearing last month. The subject? Capriglione’s bill to bring greater transparency to government contracts held by elected officials and their families.
The same could be asked of Hilderbran today, and it might even make sense this time.
What is happening? Today the House Ways and Means Committee, chaired by Hilderbran, is scheduled to consider legislation Hilderbran authored that would provide tax breaks to a campaign contributor.
The Hilderbran contributor in question is CEO of Rackspace, a web hosting company.
Additionally, the legislation would give more power to the Comptroller, an office Hilderbran is planning to run for in 2014.
In the same hearing last month Hilderbran asked Capriglione, “Are you proud of this?” One wonders how Hilderbran would answer his own question today.