Avella's 'Clean Money' Proposal
By Azi Paybarah
March 25, 2008 | 4:15 p.m
City Councilman and mayoral candidate Tony Avella wants to revolutionize the way city elections are funded -- or, at least, to make it easier for candidates without backing from large donors (like, for instance, him) to compete with their better-established rivals.
In a public statement about a bill he's calling "Clean Money, Clean Elections" legislation, Avella said:
"In the current partial public funding system private fundraising is mostly from large, outside donors and bundlers, whereas in under ‘Clean Money, Clean Elections’ private fundraising is strictly limited to small donations from constituents. Under the current system the playing field isn’t leveled, it’s actually tilted. Whereas, in ‘Clean Money, Clean Elections’ all of the amounts are the same. Under the current system, campaign expenditures more than doubled in the past decade, but under this new system the costs would be controlled. Right now consultants run campaigns, but under ‘Clean Money, Clean Elections’ the candidates will run the campaign. And finally, under the current system special interest groups still spend millions on campaigns, but under ‘Clean Money, Clean Elections’ these same special interest groups have no special access or influence.”
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