Editor,

For me, dark money conjures up images of scruffy desperadoes switching briefcases on a park bench in some country with a funny name like Karokistan. The money is for some nefarious act like blowing up the train station, but we never know who bought the dynamite.

Locally, we can forego the park bench because it’s perfectly legal to use unlimited funds from mysterious  groups and corporate entities to influence elections without disclosing the donors. We don’t lose a train station but sure allow stealthy donors to buy a boatload of influence within our government.

Has dark money turned our elections into auctions, with the highest bidder taking the oath?

During the 2006 election, less than $5.2 million was spent by non-disclosing entities and Political Action Committees. That amount grew to well over $300 million in 2012.

Seems we have three parties — the D’s, the R’s, and the U’s, meaning the Undisclosed.

In a local state Senate contest, incumbent Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, has tapped into something called “The Good Government Leadership Council,” a nefarious and undisclosed LLC out of Centralia which has peppered your mailboxes with two childish “hit pieces” that paint her opponent as an incompetent and desperate eco-terrorist who’s after your tax dollars.

At roughly $40,000, so far, we’re not talking chump change.

Bailey profusely claims no part of these blatant distortions, but fails to disclose their undeniable influence on her or refuse their donations. Ironically she uttered this same disclaimer back in 2012 when the target was Mary Margaret Haugen.

History repeats!

I’m going to “follow the money” and vote for that tenacious Angie Homola because the state Public Disclosure Commission tells me 91 percent of her funds are clearly from real people. Conversely, Bailey nears that 90 percent from what might be generously be called “special interests.”

It’s quite obvious where her allegiances lie and it’s not the people of this district.

Dean Enell

Langley