Portland Considers Public Funding for Council Races

By Rob Manning

PORTLAND, OR 2005-04-07 (Oregon Considered) - Thursday, the city of Portland took a step closer to creating a public finance system for city council campaigns.

If councilors vote to approve the plan next week, as expected, Portland would become the first city in the country to have such a comprehensive system of so-called "voter-owned elections."

Portland loves the underdog. Perhaps nothing demonstrated that more clearly than former police chief Tom Potter's mayoral victory last fall.

Potter raised $234,000 and limited contributions to just $25 in the primary and $100 in the general election.

His opponent, Commissioner Jim Francesconi observed no such limits, and gathered more than a million dollars for his run.

Last spring, a beaming Potter felt a shift in momentum that would eventually put him in the mayor's office.

Tom Potter: "The only game in town was to raise so much money that you smother the other person? Well, I've always believed in Portlanders, I've believed in the basic practices of grassroots organizing, and I think it's been demonstrated here tonight that it works, and it works well, here in Portland, Oregon."

Now, Mayor Potter is one of the chief advocates of putting public money into campaigns.

But local business owner Dave Lister argues that Potter's own victory shows that changes aren't necessary.

Dave Lister: "I think that the last election cycle pretty well disproves the concept that he who has the most money, wins the election."

Sam Adams: "Well I think Tom Potter's election was an anomaly, is the first important point."

Commissioner Sam Adams won his seat at the same time Potter became mayor. Adams raised over $800,000 for his race against Nick Fish, and he says he's still $25,000 in debt.

Sam Adams: "Voter-owned elections would allow more people to not only consider running for office, but once voter-owned elections are implemented, I would have been able to spend more time discussing the issues and meeting with people face-to-face. I spent six to eight hours a day on the phone or in meetings raising money."

Adams isn't the only one who's tired of going to deep-pockets for cash.

JoAnn Bowman served in the state legislature before losing the race for chair of the Multnomah County Commission to Diane Linn, who outspent her nearly 3 to 1.

JoAnn Bowman: "I was sick of going to my own mailbox, because every single week, twice a week, there was literature in my mailbox from my opponent. It was very pretty, it was very fancy, she had the ability to do that. Because I could only raise $47,000, I didn't have the ability to do that."

If Bowman ran for city council under the plan, she'd get more than three times that amount, just for the primary.

Portland's system is modeled on one in the state of Maine.

First off, a candidate is not forced to use the public system.

For candidates who want to, here's how it works: You collect a thousand five-dollar contributions - a bit more if you're running for mayor. Then, you can raise some private money and you get a bigger chunk of public money.

Candidates who don't use the public system continue to follow current law. But Maine legislator Ed Suslovic says in his state, more than three-quarters of candidates went the public route last year.

Ed Suslovic: "Not only is that an important statistic, but there are more people running for the legislature today. What public financing has done - I think the most significant thing - is it's giving voters more choices."

Critic Dave Lister says the proposed system would take his choice away.

Dave Lister: "Basically my tax dollars will go to all candidates, whether I support them or not. I kind of see that as an abridgement of my first amendment rights."

Portland's system would cost around a $1.5 million for every election - money that critics say would be better spent on services. Supporters say difficult budget cuts might be easier to make with less influence from campaign contributors.

National low-income advocate William McNary says that in turn, opens the door to people who have been kept out in the past.

William McNary: "So this is about access, this is about accountability, and this is about participation, and the obstacles or the barriers to it are the same obstacles and barriers to democracy always. Those beneficiaries who are benefiting from the system as it is now have a hard time adapting to change."

City commissioners expect to have a final vote on the publicly funded election plan on April 13th. If it's approved, the first big test of the country's first such municipal elections system would be the May 2006 primary.