Brooklyn political activists push for publicly financed state campaigns
Lots of public cash already fuels city races
Should taxpayers be obligated to pay for candidates to run for political office? At a Bay Ridge rally Wednesday night organizers called a “Rally for Fair Elections,” dozens of people answered a resounding “yes” to that question. But a Bay Ridge lawmaker said the answer should be a firm “no.”
The Rally for Fair Elections, which organizers subtitled “Our Communities vs. Big Money,” drew an enthusiastic crowd of people to the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd on Fourth Avenue eager to change New York State’s campaign finance laws, according to Andrew Gounardes, a lawyer who was one of the event’s speakers. The goal of the rally was to educate people on the issue and mobilize the public to take action, he said.
Proponents of campaign finance reform want the state to adopt laws similar to those governing elections in New York City. The proposal includes setting a limit on the amount of money individuals can donate to a candidate. For example, an individual cannot make a contribution of more than $1,250 to a City Council candidate and no more than $4,700 to a mayoral candidate participating in the campaign finance program, under city regulations.
The city also has a program in which taxpayer money helps finance campaigns through a matching fund system. If a participating candidate raises a certain amount on his or her own, the city provides a 6 to 1 match in funds.