‘Waltz’ not Tennessee’s first dance with state scandal

The “TennPar” investigation found associates of the governor were selling pardons in the 1970s. The “Rocky Top” investigation of the late ’80s and early ’90s broke up illegal gambling rings.

A current federal investigation — so far without a public code name — is still looking into how state contracts were awarded during the administration of former Tennessee Gov. Don Sundquist.

Government corruption cases dot the past three decades of Tennessee history, but a Vanderbilt University professor said the state is not unique.

“These things happen all over the place, and the frequency depends on the political culture,” political science professor Bruce Oppenheimer said. “You don’t want this to be normal procedure.”

Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen said he realized the “public’s confidence in state government has been shaken,” and he said he was prepared to call a special legislative session this summer to consider tougher ethics laws.

Tennessee has some of the weakest ethics laws in the country. Lawmakers don’t have to disclose their sources of income, and lobbyists don’t have to report how much they spend wining and dining legislators.

A new law makes it a crime for Tennessee lawmakers to receive consulting fees, but no one knows if the tougher laws would have prevented the arrests Thursday.

Sens. John Ford, Kathryn Bowers and Ward Crutchfield; Rep. Chris Newton; and former state Sen. Roscoe Dixon are charged with taking bribes from a phony company created by the FBI.

Ford, part of an important Memphis political family, resigned from office Saturday after more than 30 years in the Senate. He is the only lawmaker charged with threatening to kill a witness.

Other recent Tennessee scandals:

—Federal prosecutors have indicted three people in the investigation into how contracts were awarded during Sundquist’s administration from 1994-2002.

One former state official was convicted for steering a no-bid contract to a friend of the governor. That friend recently pleaded guilty to income tax evasion and making false statements. A third awaits trial on obstruction charges.

—The “Rocky Top” investigation found bingo operators were using state charters of legitimate Tennessee charities to run gambling operations.

The probe eventually sent state Rep. Tommy Burnett to prison. Secretary of State Gentry Crowell and legislator Ted Ray Miller were also accused in the investigation and committed suicide.

— During his term from 1974 to 1979, associates of Gov. Ray Blanton were accused of selling pardons and bid-rigging. State leaders inaugurated Gov. Lamar Alexander three days early in 1979 to stop a stream of pardons Blanton was granting during his final days in office. Two years later, Blanton was convicted of extortion for selling liquor licenses.

Oppenheimer said government corruption scandals run in cycles.

“We shouldn’t be shocked that this happens. You hope it doesn’t happen with undue frequency,” he said. “My sense is that when you have a cleanup like this, in following elections you have more focus on candidates’ character.”

Before his arrest Thursday, Ford had been attracted state and federal investigations into his business dealings, work on behalf of state contractors and campaign spending.

His troubles were credited as the impetus behind a tough ethics bill passed by the Legislature this session.

Bredesen said Thursday’s arrests show that further ethics reform may be needed.

“We will set up a process to see whether further or different legislation could have prevented (what happened ) today,” he said after the arrests. “If so we are committed to constructing and passing such legislation.”