The editorial page is often a place for opinion rather than facts. Nonetheless, I was stunned to read the dishonest garbage labeled “Another Jihad Against Initiatives” in the Bellevue Reporter.

I chaired the Senate Committee meeting that Tim Eyman attacks. Readers – you deserve an honest telling. I dedicated my last Senate committee meeting to examining a fundamental pillar of democracy – campaign financing. Clean and fair elections are a prerequisite to democracy. The increasingly lopsided and furtive financing of elections is corrosive.

Contrary to Eyman’s claim that the meeting was a jihad against initiatives, that topic was not even on the agenda. In fact, I strongly support and defend our initiative system. Also, the “good government groups” Eyman disparaged in his fiction was none other than “The League of Women Voters” and “Washington Public Campaigns.” Both groups are citizen watchdog organizations concerned about fair electioneering.

Eyman also distorted the financial figures of the two recent liquor initiatives, suggesting that opponents had outspent the corporate sponsors by 2 to 1. The fact is, the tally was remarkably balanced at $8.7 million for passage and $8.9 million against.

For a less balanced example, we can to look at the campaign against the candy and soda revenue measure. The “Stop the food & beverage tax hikes” PAC raised $16.8 million dollars against a mere $427,000 raised by those defending the education funding. Now it is possible that this anti-tax effort would have passed without the 40 to 1 funding advantage. On the other hand, it is also possible that if people knew that it was actually Coke and Pepsi paying for the commercials, they might have had a more skeptical ear.

Whether for ballot initiatives or candidates for public office, people have the right to know who pays for the commercials. If the check is from soft drink companies, big oil, or Eyman, people deserve to know which self-serving interest may be exaggerating or distorting in their commercials.

Full and honest disclosure is the first principle of campaign finance reform and should be a principle both parties can unite around. That was the actual topic of the Senate committee hearing and one of my top priorities for the four years I served the people of Washington in the Senate.

Eric Oemig is the outgoing Senator from the 45th district. He lives in Kirkland.