Individuals running for mayor and City Council can voluntarily pledge to place limits on personal contributions to their own campaigns and on campaign expenditures. In Salt Lake City, personal contributions can be limited to $75,000 and total campaign expenditures can be limited to $375,000 for those running for mayor, and lesser amounts for those seeking seats on the City Council. The pledge can make elections more competitive and open to more residents of the city by having candidates start the race closer to the starting line.
However, candidates are not beholden by city ordinance to keep their promises, as the city code allows candidates to reverse their pledge if rival candidates or independent groups do not observe the same limits.
As of Feb. 15, over half a million dollars have been raised by Salt Lake City mayoral candidates, 2.5 times more money than the same period in 2015. If the trajectory continues, over one million dollars can then be expected to enter the race by the end of the next filing period on July 1.
Contributions from personal wealth and affluent families combined with corporate money are an advantage when entering these races, while simultaneously diluting the interests of lower-income residents. The monetary limit a person can donate is up to $3,560. According to Salt Lake City Code, a person is defined as “natural or legal persons,” which includes business organizations.
It is time for Salt Lake City mayoral and council candidates to not only take a pledge to place monetary constraints on their campaigns, but to also take a critical look at the city’s approved methods of financing and incorporate campaign finance reform into their platform and vision for the city.
Portland is an example of residents reclaiming control of city elections, since it is in the public’s interest to hold candidates accountable and expect transparency. Not allowing corporations to make any direct campaign contributions in Portland, Ore., has now become the norm. On top of this, corporations in Portland are also limited to independent campaign expenditures of $10,000, while in Salt Lake City there are no such restrictions.
Seattle is another city that has reclaimed the democratic process away from the affluent families and corporations and returned it back to its residents. This is done by their “Honest Elections Seattle” initiative that introduces a “Democracy Voucher,” a publicly funded allotment of funds that each city resident is entitled to donate to candidates of their choosing, equally redistributing power to residents. By having candidates seek residents’ support, and thus their vouchers, candidates will have to work with the community instead of seeking approval from select wealthy families and corporations.
As of March 5, according to Salt Lake City Recorder’s Office, none of the mayoral candidates have voluntarily pledged to limit contributions and expenditures.
The time is now for candidates to not only voluntarily take the pledge as detailed in the city election ordinances to limit contributions and expenditures, but to replace the current system with a small-dollar, community-centric, transparent and accountable election process. As more high-profile corporations and interests move in, now is the time for candidates to make city-wide campaign finance reform a top priority.
Let us take the money out of politics before the politics becomes the money that is leveraged by corporations and wealthy families to usurp local resident control.
Let us become like Seattle and Portland where local residents have retaken control of their city’s elections.
Let Salt Lake City be of the people, by the people, and for the people.
Cristobal M. Villegas Jr., Salt Lake City, is an advocate for marginalized and underrepresented communities.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://ift.tt/2ENoTcP
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