For city council hopefuls, it’s all about the Lincolns
Campaign – Five dollars each from enough people will unlock public funds, easier said than done
James Mayer, Oregonian, December 12, 2007
It’s classic retail politics. Knocking on doors, talking to people, enlisting an army of friends and family to help pound the pavement. But the six candidates for Portland City Council aren’t trolling for votes, at least not yet.
They need $5 from 1,000 Portland voters to qualify for $145,000 in public money.
It’s harder than it looks, and chances are good that not everyone will make it by the Jan. 31 deadline.
Amanda Fritz leads the pack with more than 800 contributors and Charles Lewis is next with nearly 700. But none of the other candidates has reached the halfway mark, and time is running out.
And one potential candidate, Multnomah County Commissioner Maria Rojo de Steffey, hasn’t decided whether to take advantage of public financing.
Still, all exude confidence, even skateboard shop owner Howard Weiner, who has reported only 19 contributions since jumping in the race three weeks ago.
This is a critical test for the campaign finance system since its scandal-ridden inauguration in 2006. This time around, it’s been mostly smooth and squeaky clean so far.But reforms may have set the bar too high. Auditor Gary Blackmar said it would be “a little worrisome” if only one or two candidates qualified. “We want to make it reachable for anyone who is organized and works hard at it,” he said.
After next year’s election, the city’s citizen campaign commission will analyze what worked and what didn’t.
Most candidates got a late start, adding to the current time squeeze. Lewis, co-owner of Portland Duck Tours and executive director of the nonprofit Ethos Music Center, began collecting donations on the first day he legally could, July 13.
But everyone else waited until Mayor Tom Potter said he wasn’t going to run for re-election in late September and Commissioner Sam Adams jumped into the mayor’s race a couple of weeks later, creating the open seat.
Candidates who fail to qualify for public financing can keep the money they collected from voters and run atraditional campaign by raising money from private donors. Council candidates differed on whether they would do that.
Fritz, a registered nurse and former city planning commissioner, said she hopes to reach the threshold by the first of the year, giving her time to deal with any problems. Another bonus: “I’d be able to stop asking people for money, which would be nice.”
Fritz said the personal touch seems to work the best. “It’s still better to collect in person. There are 16 places on the form where errors can be made.”
Lewis said he plans to send out a mailing to 3,000 voters that includes the contribution form. Candidates who don’t qualify for public financing should get out of the race, he said.
John Branam, development director for Portland Public Schools, has gathered about 420 contributions and expects to make the deadline.
The work is time-consuming, he said. Portlanders are used to seeing petitioners with clipboards, but the dynamic of this effort is different. “It really does require a conversation,” he said.
Public utility advocate Jeff Bissonnette has reported 233 donations, and he hopes to hit the 300 mark this week. “I’m going to push pretty hard to get the rest in,” he said.
He said he would have to think hard about staying in the race if he didn’t qualify for public money.
“One of the reasons for this whole process is to demonstrate a base of support. I’d rather be talking tovoters about issues,” he said. “I don’t necessarily want to be talking to contributors to my campaign.”
Chris Smith, an Internet techie for Xerox and a well-known transportation advocate, is at 375 contributions.
He thinks the pace will accelerate as the deadline looms and his supporters overcome procrastination.
If he doesn’t qualify, he said, he would have to think seriously about staying in the race. “This is the right way to fund it,” said Smith, a vocal supporter of the public financing system from the beginning. “I would have to think really hard about doing it a different way.”
Weiner is clear, however. He said he would probably stay in the race if he didn’t get the public money and thinks everyone else should, too.
