DES MOINES - A one-time rival of Gov. Chet Culver says he's reneged on promises to advocate for serious campaign finance reform and controls on urban sprawl.

Ed Fallon, who lost to Culver in the 2006 Democratic primary for governor, leveled the criticisms in a missive sent to supporters and members of the media Thursday.

The message said Culver has been inaccessible and unresponsive since he pledged to work with Fallon after the primary. Fallon cites 11 unreturned phone calls from the governor's office.

"It's not about me entirely," Fallon said in an interview. "It's about a lot of Iowans - a lot of Democrats - who feel that they were asked to jump on board, and they helped the governor get elected, and now they're being ignored.

The e-mail, sent to close to 7,000 people by Fallon's political group, I'm for Iowa, said Culver pledged to work on some of the issues important to Fallon's supporters in the governor's race. Those issues included campaign finance reform and reducing urban sprawl.

"Nearly 2 1/2 years later, none of this has happened, and we don't see anything to give us hope that things will change," Fallon and wife, Lynn, wrote in the e-mail. "We know the unwritten rule - thou shall not criticize a fellow Democrat. But silence merely enables bad behavior to continue unchallenged."

The e-mail alleges that a "significant core" of the Democratic Party is disappointed with Culver's lack of leadership on key priorities.

Fallon said he was asked to help Culver in his race against Republican Jim Nussle, which he said he did in a "big way."

"He has not kept his part of the bargain. To me that's not sour grapes, it's just a matter of being consistent with doing what you say you're going to do," Fallon said.

Culver's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Contact Charlotte Eby at (515) 422-9061 or chareby@aol.com.