All Donors, All Dollars
| As a
result of countless scandals that have plagued Illinois politics and
government during recent years, a great deal of attention has been
focused on campaign finance reform and attempts to bring more openness
and transparency to election campaigns. All candidates are required to abide by the State Board of Elections’ reporting guidelines, but those guidelines still leave room for candidates to hide behind minimum reporting limits (only contributions greater than $150 per reporting cycle are required to be public) and reporting deadlines that leave little time for meaningful disclosure. The earlier-than-usual primary election (February 2, 2010) means that campaign contributions are not required to be released until January 20, 2010, which leaves only about two weeks between the reporting deadline and the actual election. My campaign is a grassroots effort to bring common sense and proven, executive experience to the office of Lieutenant Governor. I am not a multimillionaire and I am not self-funding this race with family money. Instead, my campaign is funded by individuals who share a common belief in the merits of public service. To lead by example, I’m committed to posting all of our campaign contributions on-line. Through this All Donors, All Dollars Web page, we’ll update our contributors’ list with the name (with address and occupation), dollar amount and date of every campaign donation we receive. You’ll see that our contributors give as they can, and every contribution is both appreciated and put to good use. Whether it’s $10 or $10,000, we’ll do our best to make All Donors, All Dollars accessible to the voters of Illinois. Just click on any All Donors, All Dollars link for the most current contributors list. For additional information, I thought I would share a recent survey question (from the Chicago Tribune newspaper) and my answer about campaign finances: Do you favor or
oppose limits on campaign contributions by individuals and interest
groups? Should limits apply to contributions made by political parties
and by funds controlled by the leaders of the House and Senate? Please
explain.
Yes. The ability of some to manipulate the election process through massive campaign contributions does a disservice to the average voter and typical campaign donor. Contribution limits should be imposed similar to those at the federal level, or perhaps at $5,000 per person per year to any individual candidate. Political party funds and funds controlled by legislative leaders should also be restricted, perhaps limiting contributions from those funds to individual candidates at a level of no more than $20,000 per general election cycle. Recent legislative action fell short of limiting the financial influence of political parties and legislative leaders. As always, thank you for your continued trust and support! MAYOR BRAD COLE |