In his efforts to lobby for Interstate 66, Walt Wildman paid $50 from an account managed by the city of Cape Girardeau to Citizens for Jim Edgar, the Illinois governor's re-election committee.

Wildman spent the money in Springfield, Ill., on April 27 to gain admission to a Lincoln Day Dinner, according to city records.

"I paid $50 so I could lobby," Wildman said. "I saw quite a few elected officials, the Secretary of State and local officials."

Cape Girardeau City Manager Michael Miller, who administers the account, said, "Going to that function is part of lobbying, and Jim Edgar is governor of Illinois."

He noted that although the city administers the account, so far, all the money that went into it was private.

City records show that $1,000 of the funds came from Southeast Missouri State University."

Gerald Jones, presiding commissioner of Cape Girardeau County, which is considering contributing to the Interstate 66 effort, said he would not allow county funds to go for a political contribution. "If it's not legally wrong, it's just wrong," Jones said. "I go to a lot of poltical dinners, but that comes out of my hip pocket."