Bachmann in the top 60 in Use of Franking

The St Cloud Times reports:

Bachmann reported spending $217,197 on franked communications and made 4,102,827 contacts with constituents during 2009. That ranked her 57th in the House in terms of money spent and 12th in the number of communications sent.

While lawmakers typically spend more in the final quarter of the year, almost half of Bachmann’s total expenditures were from January through March. Records show she spent $106,088 during that period to send out 1,329,017 pieces of communication.

“Constituent communication has always been a top priority for Rep. Bachmann, and she has been at the forefront of using innovative technologies to communicate with her constituents through telephone town halls and weekly e-mail newsletters,” said Bachmann spokesman Dave Dziok.

One of Bachmann’s recent communications items — a two-page advisory promoting her May 10 jobs forum — drew strong criticism from Zach Rodvold, campaign manager for state Sen. Tarryl Clark, who is vying to take on the 6th Congressional District incumbent in November’s election.

Rodvold referred to the notices as “full-color, glossy, campaign-style mailers” designed to promote Bachmann’s agenda at taxpayers’ expense.

“So rather than paying for a series of forums to create or save jobs,” Rodvold said, “her constituents are paying for a series of forums designed to save just one job: Congresswoman Bachmann’s.”

Rodvold highlights Bachmann’s quote in the mailer about “working hard so Minnesotans can create more jobs and better jobs.”

Such wording is troubling to government watchdog groups that believe franking gives incumbents an unfair outreach advantage in an election year.

Restrictions have been imposed on the franking privilege over the years to make mass mailings less promotional and more informative. Even so, colorful mailers bragging about a representative’s accomplishments and reminding constituents how hard the member works for them are common, according to a review of several lawmakers’ franked pieces.