As you may know, one of Sustainable Alachua County's goals is "Civic Engagement: Create full opportunities for citizens, businesses, and communities t participate in and influence the natural resource, environmental, and economic decisions that affect them." A second is "Stewardship: Create a widely held ethic of stewardship that values diversity and strongly encourages individuals, institutions, and corporations to take full responsibility for the economic, environmental, and social consequences of their actions." Unfortunately, the playing field for individual citizen engagement and stewardship is often not level because of the influence of large campaign donations form some special interests who are, in fact, unwilling to assume responsibility for the long-term negative effects of their actions. That is certainly one of the reasons campaign finance reform has become a national issue of concern and a critical matter if we are to sustain a healthy nation for ourselves and further generations. Sustainable Alachua County's Board is pleased to support such a local campaign finance reform effort here for our county's elected officials. We need to ensure that all citizens who wish to seek elective office have an equal opportunity to participate in our county government elections based on their ability to serve as stewards of the public interest rather than their ability to raise large sums of money.
When I decided to run for the Alachua County Commission in 1952 the office paid no salary. I volunteered to serve, and I bore virtually all of the campaign costs from my own personal bank account. This amounted to about three hundred dollars. During my 28 years as an Alachua County Commissioner I watched the job grow in size along with skyrocketing campaign costs. Times continue to rapidly change at an accelerated pace in our community. Presently, any serious effort to run for this same office would require about $30,000 in campaign money. It costs more each year. The availability of money now limits who can afford to volunteer to serve. The manner in which political campaigns are funded will materially influence who holds public office and who "slices the pie". This is where our political future will be determined. We should regard how campaigns are funded as one of the foundation stones upon which we build our political process, or we could unwittingly tilt the playing field in favor of only the wealthy. The present proposal allowing the local regulation of local campaign funding is an important step in the right direction. We should not miss this opportunity.
Elections are about ideas, not dollars. Its no secret that many citizens distrust government and too few people vote. In order to maintain public confidence in Alachua County's elections, we must establish fair access to the election process and ensure adequate disclosure of campaign funding. Alachua County voters should be able to choose their elected officials without undue influence from big-money interests that often, are not even Alachua County voters. Lets send a clear message to our senators and representatives in the Florida legislature. Turn out and vote overwhelmingly on March 20 in favor of Campaign Finance Reform in Alachua County!
I am concerned that grass-roots candidates soon may no longer be able to effectively compete for our county offices. With campaign funds fast approaching $100,000, and with much of it coming from large businesses and wealthy special-interest donators, will candidates without big funding sources become a thing of the past? Local reform measures that would protect the ability of all citizens to effectively compete for Alachua County offices are needed. The current trend in campaign finances in our county elections is neither sustainable nor healthy for Alachua County government. I urge you to vote "yes" March 20 for local campaign-reform home rule.
Let us, the people, control of the rising cost of local campaigns, reduce the influence of special interests, improve public disclosure of candidates and contributors financial interests and therefore ensure a fair and level playing field for candidates seeking elected office. Yes, people should govern us not corporations and special interests. This is why a YES vote on the initiative for campaign finance reform will encourage our legislative delegation to support a special Act by the state legislature to authorize home-rule. Once the home-rule authority has been granted actual campaign finance reform measures can be placed before the voters and enacted by the Alachua County Commission.
We believe this could threaten the ability of many citizens to effectively compete for local offices. Elections should be about ideas, not dollars. Our local government and citizens have virtually no power to change this because campaign-finance regulations for local office are controlled by Tallahassee. We are a nonpartisan group seeking local campaign-finance reform for Alachua County. Voters should be able to choose their elected officials with full knowledge of the financial interests behind each of the candidates, and without having to worry whether those candidates will have undue influence from big-money interests. Local reforms, gained through community consensus, can protect the ability of all citizens to effectively run for office without harming the ability of candidates to mount viable campaigns, and can improve public disclosure of the financial interests behind each candidate. The first step in our Alachua Campaign Reform Effort is to gain authority for Alachua County to enact reforms limited to our county elected charter offices. We have asked our legislative delegation to introduce a special act to provide this authority. Today, we will be asking the County Commission to also support this effort by placing a straw poll on the March ballot to demonstrate voter support for local reform. For more information about the Alachua Campaign Reform Effort, call 372-2464 or 372-7975 or visit our Web site at www.AlachuaCampaignReform.org. We encourage all Alachua County citizens to join us in seeking home-rule authority for local campaign-finance reform. January 23, 2001
Sun Editorial: Mandate needed It's business as usual in Washington, D.C. This week, President George W. Bush reversed course on his campaign promise to try to curb power plant emissions in order to slow down global warming. The coal and utilities industries; heavy contributors to Bush and the Republican Party, were thrilled. And in Congress, a bill to make life tougher on people who declare bankruptcy is reportedly assured passage. A single credit card company gave $3.5 million in the last election to help grease the wheels for the bill. "Where money goes, sometimes you see results," U.S. Rep. George W. Gekas, R-Pa., told the New York Times in reference to the bankruptcy overhaul. That government can be bought and sold in Washington is no big shocker to most folks. Back in the hinterlands, we may root for passage in the Senate next week of the McCain-Feingold campaign reform bill. But bitter experience tells us that the prospect for meaningful change is not good. In Washington, as in Tallahassee, the Golden Rule still applies: Who has the gold, makes the rules. Popular frustration over government-for-sale at the state and national levels is one reason why campaign finance reform is, increasingly, a grassroots affair. All over the country, communities are beginning to adopt their own regulations on campaign fund-raising and spending in an effort to ensure that local politics, at least, remains competitive and accessible to all. Fort Collins, Col., has adopted individual contribution limits of $50. Tuscon, Ariz., has gone to public financing of local campaigns. Little Rock, Ark., has put time limits on fund-raising. Richland, Wash., monitors and publicizes campaign expenditures. Altha, Utah, requires public disclosure of all expenditures and contributions over $25. Miami-Dade is now moving ahead with a local campaign finance initiative. Concern over escalating fund-raising and spending in Alachua County races has likewise generated a grassroots-level campaign to attack the pervasive impact of money in politics. As Susan Wright, head of Alachua County Citizens for Campaign Reform explained in her guest column in the Sun on Thursday: "....when local campaign funds exceed $100,000 - very possibly in our next county election if the recent trend continues - how can candidates without significant financial backers expect to effectively compete for office?" Wright's group wants Alachua County to become a Florida model for local campaign finance reform. Indeed, the National Civic League, taking note of efforts here, has decided to render assistance to the local campaign. The problem is that campaign finances are regulated by the state. Alachua County is powerless to enact its own regulations unless the Legislature passes a local bill authorizing it. And thus far, there is little or no interest on the part of the county's legislative delegation to introduce such a bill. One thing that may change the delegation's mind is an indication that there is strong popular support for local campaign finance reform. Hence the straw poll on next Tuesday's ballot. It simply asks voters if they "favor legislation that would permit Alachua County to impose restrictions that are more stringent than imposed by state law..." on county-level campaigns. In other words, on county commission and charter officer races. The thing is, simple approval of this poll - say, by 51 percent, 55 percent or so - isn't likely to impress anybody in Tallahassee. This one of those cases where it will require overwhelming support - say 75 percent or 80 percent or more - in order to get their attention. And we hope the straw poll will be an attention-getter. As more and more communities stand up and say "Enough! Government is not for sale here", that message must inevitably get through to Tallahassee and Washington. If you are sick of business as usual in politics, vote yes on the straw poll on Tuesday. Act locally, and eventually your voice will be heard nationally. Alachua County Citizens for Campaign Reform 10/18/02
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