Comptroller Peter Franchot’s office sees no problem in its use of state social media accounts to publicize a survey created by his political campaign committee.

But others do.

Franchot, a third-term Democrat, has launched a task force in an effort to change Maryland laws governing the beer industry following a high-stakes struggle in the General Assembly this year over legislation affecting small craft brewers and international liquor giant Diageo’s proposal to build a Guinness brewery in Relay.

As part of Franchot’s effort, his office recently sent a tweet from its government Twitter account publicizing a public opinion survey on issues facing the beer industry.

When recipients click on the link in the tweet, they are taken to a poll created and paid for by Franchot’s campaign. It carries the authority line “Friends of Peter Franchot. Tom Gentile, Treasurer.”

One question reads: “Do you think that Maryland consumers should be allowed to purchase beer and wine in grocery stores?” Users can respond yes, no or not sure.

Damon Effingham, legal and policy manager for good-government group Common Cause Maryland, was troubled that a government account was used to promote a survey paid for by a campaign. “As social media have flourished, it’s blurred the lines between campaign activities and official activities,” Effingham said. “That’s something Common Cause has been pressing legislators to address.”

Len Foxwell, Franchot’s chief of staff, defended the use of the state account to publicize the survey, but acknowledged that it “could go either way.”

“It’s one of countless issues that have both governmental and political overtones,” he said.

Foxwell said the cost of the survey was borne by the campaign, even though its questions did not mention Franchot or his campaign.

“When given the choice, the comptroller made a decision to save the taxpayers a few hundred bucks and pay for it out of his campaign account,” Foxwell said. “I can’t imagine any reasonable person objecting to that choice.”

Foxwell said email addresses and other information collected through the survey would not be used by the campaign. Effingham said he was reassured by that commitment.

“So long as that is the case, I don't think what Franchot's office did was inappropriate,” he said. “But it does highlight the growing issues created by government social media accounts and digital communications.”

—?Michael Dresser