Public financing for city campaigns? Convince us
Amanda reports today about a little movement in Greensboro to initiate public financing for city council elections.
We'd need a whole lot of convincing to go along with that.
We'd have to be convinced that ...
Private campaign money is a corrupting influence on a significant scale ...
The candidate with the most money almost always wins regardless of other circumstances or abilities ...
Taxpayers -- only 20 percent of whom even vote in a good year -- want to pay for city council campaigns.
We're working on an editorial. What's your opinion?
Comments (7)
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This is a really good idea - taking some of my tax money to put an obnoxious and misleading ad on my TV or place the same in the Rhino Times - what genius of a government employee thought of this scheme? Praise Allah we won't be spending this tax revenue on education or public safety.
Posted on April 1, 2008 4:07 PM
Thanks. That's a strong opinion.
Posted on April 1, 2008 4:22 PM
Doug,
What is wrong with Greensboro politics is one example I will take and if you want to look at an investigation go to my blog and click on the yes weekly article on Greensboro's development game.
The TREBIC CARTEL and their influence on Greensboro politics is out of control with Zack “I should have recused myself” Matheny and his contributors. Here they are
Contributions range from $50-$500, most in the $250-500 range.
Spence Broadhurst-Banker
Stephen Klee- Attorney
Bejamin Sydnor- Financial Planner
Ricky Hopkins-Property Management
Robert Mcintosh-Lumber Importer
Preston Young- Attorney
Craig Ragsdale-Banker
Thomas White-Property Management
Thomas White Jr.- Prop.Management
Harold KernIII-Real Estate Broker
Kurt Kronfeld- Senn Dunn Insurors
Wiliam B Hayes-CF0, Lab Corp.
Charles Melvin- Jr, Attorney
Alexander Audilet- Attorney
Gregory Holland- Attorney
Dennis Quaintance- Hotel Magnate
Dwight Stone- Builder
Richard Montana,RealEstate Broker
Charles K. Blackmon- Attorney
Derek Allen - Attorney
Scott Bayer - He’s a Developer
Rani Hussami - He’s a Developer
James Melvin - Construction
Chester Brown III- Brown Investment Properties
Ralph Jones III - Broker
Allen Sharpe - Real Estate/Develpment
Evan Bell- Property Management
Justin Conrad, Pres. Libby Hill
Ronald Nelson- Prop. Management
James Black- Commercial Property
Bradley Field- Timber Broker
James Lomax- Construction
Johnathan Bell- Prop. Management
Robin Tyler- Prop. Management
William Black,Jr. Mortgage Broker
Michael Winstead- Mega Builders
Steven D. Bell- Prop. Management
Scott Wyatt- Attorney
Jeffery Oleynick- Attorney
James Phillips- Attorney
Michael Shannon- Attorney
Joseph McKinney- Mega Builders
Frank Auman- “Self Employed” Ha!
Hardin Blackwell - Terminex
Carole Bruce- Attorney
Charles Hagan III - Attorney
Cooper Brantly Jr. - Real Estate
Bradford Deaton- Prop.Development
Three Lorillard Attorneys
George Aycock- Attorney
E.S. Melvin, Pres. Bryan Foundation
Derek Albright - Attorney
also add KING MEGA BUILDERS mc kinney $1,000 and Winstead $1,000 a piece
THIS IS WHAT IS WRONG WITH GREENSBORO POLITICS, way too much influence from the TREBIC CARTEL. This is only one Greensboro City Council member and others have plenty of TREBIC CARTEL influence all over them. If you do a little research into Zack you might see that there aren't many small donations just the usual suspects from the TREBIC CARTEL. I would like to see more ethics come down the pike to Greensboro City Council
Then you can go to the State Board of Elections web site and look up a PAC called North Carolinians for Leadership in Government, and see what is wrong with that picture. Then we have the simkins Pac which everyone is aware of.
After talking with Joe Wilson and his fight against Zack "I should have recused myself" Matheny, I am all for clean elections.
Posted on April 1, 2008 4:55 PM
Thanks, Keith. Does that mean you favor public financing?
Posted on April 1, 2008 5:05 PM
yes
Posted on April 1, 2008 5:14 PM
Want more participation, make the city elections Partisan. It's a proven fact ignored by most!
Posted on April 2, 2008 6:29 AM
If I were to vote for public funding I would want massive changes.
1. No local election within 6 months of a state election or 12 months of a national election.
(Candidates and issues get too buried in the bigger elections.)
2. Funding and campaigning to last for 6 months! (Six months funding window max!)
Candidates who campaign longer, not elgible!
Incumbents have handicapped restrictions on campaigning outside this window, funded or not!
3. Would not apply to school board elections. They can slug it out on their own! No funding!
4. Candidate could not receive funds for second run unless received x percent of vote in prior unsuccessful election.
5. Incumbents would be handicapped and not elgible after having served for 2 terms in any capacity for either the commissioners or city council. (This includes prior service for any national office, anywhere! No carpetbaggers here!
6. Term limits would be imposed!
7. Election would be revised to a mail in plan only, no poll booth election site type election!!
Voter fraud, I think fraud could be properly addressed!
Posted on April 2, 2008 8:10 AM