When he ran for election to the state Public Service Commission in 1996, Jay Blossman’s campaign commercials painted him as a reformer, different from the candidate he eventually beat, incumbent John Schwegmann.  At the time, Blossman called Schwegmann an old time politician and to prove it, he made a significant campaign promise: not to take money from utility companies.

You would expect that to mean he would take no money from any company he regulates as commissioner, but the records show that since then, Blossman has gone back on that word.

“I'm not independently wealthy where I can afford $260,000 on a campaign,” Blossman told Eyewitness News.

For the past 10 years he has taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from utility companies like BellSouth, CLECO and Entergy.

“This guy is a walking conflict of interest every time he sits down at the table as a public service commissioner,” said Eyewitness News political analyst and Gambit Weekly editor Clancy DuBos.

Eyewitness News analyzed Blossman's campaign contributions since his last election in 2002, looking at every donor and his or her employer.  That pointed to hundreds of donations from employees who work for the companies Blossman regulates through his work on the commission.  Many come from one company, Entergy, which provides power for some of Blossman's district.

“I can't control who gives,” Blossman said.  “I can't.”

In 2007, about one third all donations Blossman received came from Entergy employees, spouses or consultants.  Last year Blossman received contributions from 166 different people or companies.  Approximately 54 of those contributions came from people connected to Entergy.  That's many more than the 7 Entergy donations given to Public Service Commissioner Lambert Boissiere and two to Jimmy Field.  Commissioners Dale Sittig and Foster Campbell received no Entergy contributions last year.

When asked by WWL whether there was a reason that he gets more from Entergy employees than others, Blossman said, “I have fundraisers and I ask people to donate.”

“If they choose to and want to donate to me, then they do,” he added.

When asked if he was soliciting money directly from people connected to Entergy, Blossman said he solicits contributions from anyone who wants to give them.

“I'll ask you right now.  I'm running.  If you'd like to donate to my campaign, please do,” he said during a WWL interview.

Since 2002, those solicitations have gotten Blossman more than $100,000 of contributions from Entergy employees.  Analysis shows that in 2006 approximately 56 employees or spouses contributed.  In 2005, that number was about 19, and in 2004 approximately 52 donors had Entergy ties.  In 2003, it was down to 27.

“I ask everybody in this room to give a contribution.  They don't have to,” Blossman continued.  “Like I asked you.  I don't know if the cameraman can (donate).  Maybe your wife can.”

Entergy vice president Mike Twomey has given more than $3,000 to Blossman in the past six years and says it's appropriate for Entergy employees to give money to the commissioners elected to regulate.  But he says the company does not feel pressure to give money to those officials.

“The employees of the company recognize the importance to not only the company, but to our customers and the state of Louisiana in general that we have the right to express our view on these elections,” Twomey said.

WWL’s analysis shows that over the past six years about 100 of Entergy's approximately 4,000 employees gave money to Blossman.  Twomey says, in the big picture, that is not much.  He also questions the analysis used for this story, in compiling Blossman's contributions.

“Your figures about commissioner Blossman confuse his election for governor, which he is still retiring debt for, and his election for the Public Service Commission,” Twomey said.

Jay Blossman borrowed more than $1 million to run for governor in 2003 and since then much of his fundraising has gone to paying off that debt, with some of his top contributors being Entergy employees.

“We can look at contributions to Governor Jindal and Governor Blanco's campaign and do an analysis,” Twomey said.

But Channel 4 political analyst Clancy DuBos said the money is still going to Blossman, and which election it's being raised for doesn't matter but the intention does.

“It's not illegal and it's not unethical under the law, but it stinks,” DuBos said.

The president of the Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana, Jim Brandt, thinks the ethics law should change.

“I would suggest he could accept campaign contributions from anyone who doesn't have business coming before his body,” Brandt said.

Brandt says, in the past, campaign donations have gotten state commissioners of public service, insurance and agriculture in trouble.    He says it raises a question: can an elected official fairly regulate a company when his campaign is receiving money from that company’s employees?

“You just can't take that much money from someone you regulate and then turn around and pretend you're objective,” DuBos said.  “That's after running for office the first time promising the voters who elected you that you wouldn't take any money.”

Blossman disagrees.

“You can look at my record, what I've done for them,” he said.  “They're better off today no matter who gave me contributions.  And again, no one has given me more contributions than myself.”

Two current Public Service Commissioners did not face any opponents for their last re-election bid, which could have contributed to low campaign contribution numbers.

Entergy says that Lambert Boissiere received about 50 Entergy contributions in his last race against Cleo Fields and Boissiere and Blossman receive more contributions from them than other commissioners because most Entergy employees live in their district.