Another Item about Public Financing of MoCo Elections

As mentioned in a previous post, MoCo Council Member Phil Andrews has introduced a bill that would start public financing of MoCo elections. Those who support minimizing the role of money in politics support this idea.

One problem mentioned before in this blog was that the bill would prevent any candidate from taking out ads in party publications such as the MCDCC Spring Ball book. That could have very negative consequences on party organizations, and that is not something good-government people should support.

Another possible problem is that an amendment was proposed and adopted 2-1 in committee that would authorize matching public funds for contributions to candidates not only from MoCo residents but from those residing anywhere. Should we use public money to match what candidates collect outside our county? 

Perhaps not as the purpose of the bill is to encourage candidates to rely on contributions from MoCo residents in order to obtain matching public funds. On the other hand, some are saying that candidates should be able to obtain matching funds for any contributions they receive from outside the county, as they --- especially new candidates --- often ask relatives and friends who might not live in MoCo for support.

These issues will come before the County Council soon.