Here's what he did wrong. Zimmerman says he was asked by the head of NASTAD to get money for their national meeting. So Zimmerman sent a letter, on Kentucky state government letterhead, to several organizations, asking them for $300 contributions to help pay for the 2006 National Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors (NASTAD) conference in Louisville. The problem is that Zimmerman sent those fundraising letters to folks he regulates, including the Owensboro Electrical Workers Union. Oops.

The I.B.E.W. Local 1701 filed a complaint with the Executive Branch Ethics Commission, which accused Zimmerman and the Labor Department of trying to "shakedown those they are responsible for regulating". A rep for the union also contacted me. I called Zimmerman, who said he was unaware of the complaint. But he did send a letter to the Executive Branch Ethics Commission, admitting his mistake. He also mailed letters to those whom he'd solicited donations and told them not to send a check to him. One check was returned, according to Zimmerman. The only potential problem that's left hanging is that Zimmerman told the organizations, including the I.B.E.W., that they might be getting another call from the president of NASTAD, who lives in another state and is now doing the fundraising for the conference.

I wonder what difference it makes if a Kentucky state official raises donations from folks he regulates or gets someone else to do it. Zimmerman will likely get a slap on the wrist from the Ethics Commission. For what it's worth, I always found Zimmerman to be candid when he was in the legislature. And I did a story about him returning a campaign contribution to Humana because he felt it was "tainted."