Initiate Clean Money Campaign Reform

By Rita R. Boggs

Currently we do not have any campaign finance laws in place other than those imposed by the Fair Political Practices Commission

In recent years, we have seen the futility of that approach. When developers want to back a candidate they have a series of friends and associated companies each give a limited amount. The total amount related to that developer is quite significant, but no one amount is all that large.

Right now to be a successful candidate, it appears one has to either be wealthy enough to pay for one's own campaign or be backed by a big developer. The possiblity of an honest and qualified person of average means succeeding is small.

I am not the first to promote the possiblity of clean money reform. This is a system where a small amount of public money is used. Generally candidates have to raise a relatively small amount like $5000 in small donations whereby they qualify. Then they are permitted to raise about $10,000 in seed money. They are then entitled to receive a certain amount of public money. In doing so they agree to use only that amount indicated here, that is to say a cap on spending is in effect. It negates the influence of developers who would like to control cities.