Time for Reform in Thousand Oaks
* Cities across the nation have seen the need for election reform and are doing something about it. In Thousand Oaks, the cost of elections skyrocketed in the last election because of large contributions from special interests.
Our city cannot have competitive elections unless campaign spending is reduced and the power of special interests is decreased. If citizens are going to have a say in our local government, we must insist that our City Council pass an ordinance similar to the one which passed by over 88% in the city of Ventura.
If council members say campaign contributions are not a problem and campaign reform is not needed in the city of Thousand Oaks, I suggest you look at their campaign statements and see how much they personally received from special interests.
The only way to restore public trust in local government and our electoral process is to adopt a campaign finance law so that there will be a level playing field. We need less spending on propaganda (campaign literature) and more debates among candidates on the issues.
MARIE KOERNER
Thousand Oaks
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