Council to Weigh Proposal to Cap Campaign Spending
City Council members will consider a proposal to limit the amount of money candidates for elected office and district council seats can receive annually from individual contributors.
Under an ordinance to be considered at next Monday’s council meeting, if city voters in November approve a proposal to elect a mayor, future candidates for that office would be limited each year to contributions of $1,000 per individual. In addition, council members elected from seven districts or associated committees would be limited to $250 annually from each donor.
The proposal has already been approved by a council subcommittee.
Councilman William Paparian, an advocate of local campaign finance reform, said the changes are needed to ensure that candidates for citywide office are not just those sponsored by the wealthy. Paparian and other council members fear the price of a campaign for citywide office could skyrocket into the hundreds of thousands of dollars without restrictions.
Among the other proposed rules are no contributions more than six months before an election and three months after an election.
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