MADISON - Gov. Jim Doyle had his state spokesman write the speech Doyle delivered at the Democratic National Convention last month, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in Wednesday's editions.

Jonathan Becker, director of the state Government Accountability Board's ethics division, said the work could violate a state law prohibiting the use of state resources for private gain, but it might pass muster if the speech focused on state issues and policies rather than partisanship.

In the Aug. 26 speech at the convention in Denver, Doyle told delegates that Wisconsin residents work hard, care for their families and teach their children. He also talked about a northern Wisconsin factory's shift from making gear boxes for cars and trucks to making gears for windmills.

The rest of the speech praised Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and criticized his Republican opponent, John McCain, for offering what Doyle called the same failed Republican policies. He asked delegates to reject McCain.

Doyle's state spokesman, Lee Sensenbrenner, told the Journal Sentinel he spent a couple of hours writing the speech. Sensenbrenner said he and the governor agreed it was permissible for him to write the speech rather than a campaign worker because Doyle had an opportunity to promote Wisconsin on a national stage.

The governor's campaign paid for his trip to the convention, the Journal Sentinel reported.

Becker declined comment to The Associated Press on whether the GAB was investigating. He said the fact that the speech was delivered at the convention raises questions, but state statutes encourage government officials to speak at conventions and gatherings. Much depends on the speech's substance, he said.

"There's never a clear-cut answer," Becker said.

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