WASHINGTON — For Rep. Doug Lamborn, running for re-election is a family business.
Since 2011, the Colorado Springs Republican’s wife, Jean Lamborn, has collected more than $37,000 in salary for working for her husband’s campaign — a practice allowed by the Federal Election Commission but one raising eyebrows among government watchdog groups.
Jean Lamborn makes $38 an hour and does everything from book-keeping to organizing the fundraising, Lamborn’s spokeswoman Catherine Mortensen said.
The fourth-term congressman did not grant an interview for this story, but Mortensen said via e-mail that Jean Lamborn is a critical member of her husband’s campaign team.
“Mrs. Lamborn’s efforts have been highly successful,” Mortensen said. “The campaign has not yet been able to find anyone as effective as Mrs. Lamborn.”
The Federal Election Commission permits campaign funds to go to family members if the person is providing a “bona fide” service and the payments reflect the fair market value for those services.
But members of Congress are prohibited from employing spouses in their official congressional offices. The federal government and most private businesses also have rules on nepotism and spouses directly reporting to their husbands or wives. And while it’s common for spouses to have roles in their partner’s political work, it is not common to be among the top employees on a campaign.
“The issue of nepotism is a real issue. Congress doesn’t allow it, and most companies don’t allow it,” said Melanie Sloan at the D.C.-based Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
FEC reports show Jean Lamborn collecting money for “salary,” “accounting,” and “advertising.” The commission does not require paperwork on job descriptions or time worked.
Jean Lamborn collected $14,586 on Nov. 5, 2012 — the day before Election Day — for “salary” and then had other incremental checks that ranged from $896 to $3,668 between February 2011 and May 2013.
Lamborn paid out $824,000 in total disbursements during his 2012 re-election campaign.
Former GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes took heat in 2008 for paying his daughter an end-of-campaign bonus and spending nearly a third of his total donations reimbursing himself and his family for mileage and paying family salaries and other expenses.
Denver-based political consultant Eric Sondermann said the practice is a “byproduct” of being in a safe district.
“His job security breeds a sense of entitlement and even a sense of arrogance, and that’s what you’re seeing here,” he said. “It may not be illegal, but it’s certainly in the margins. It’s not like she has some rare skill that can’t be found in the marketplace. I’m sure there are plenty of qualified bookkeepers in his district who would appreciate the extra income.”
Allison Sherry: 202-662-8907, asherry@denverpost.com or twitter.com/allisonsherry
