Q&A: Carol Cushman
The president of the League of Women Voters of Portland defends “voter-owned elections.”
James Pitkin, Willamette Week, September 5, 2007
With potential 2008 City Council candidates already hinting they’ll ask Portland taxpayers to fund their campaigns, one of the original backers of the city’s “voter-owned elections” is stepping up to defend the system.
Carol Cushman, president of the League of Women Voters of Portland, says despite the chaos that the public campaign-finance system brought in the 2006 election, it’s still the best way to break Big Money’s grip on local politics.
Transportation activist Chris Smith and Portland Public Schools Development Director John Branam, both potential candidates, say they’ll use the system to fund their campaigns. So does declared candidate Charles Lewis, owner of the Portland Duck Boats tour company. The law provides public money to candidates who collect a signature and $5 from 1,000 registered voters.
