Briefs

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

The Oregonian

Candidate for City Council says she's met financing goal

Neighborhood activist Amanda Fritz says she has become the first person to collect the 1,000 contributions needed to qualify for public campaign financing.

The city elections office still has to certify that all of her donations meet the requirements -- that they came, for example, from Portland residents. But assuming that happens, Fritz will soon collect $45,000 for her Portland City Council campaign against City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, up for re-election in May.

Fritz hit the milestone last weekend, according to her Web site. She had hoped to collect the necessary donations by the end of October, but the work took her a few weeks more.

The City Council voted this summer to begin offering candidates for City Hall offices taxpayer help with their campaigns. The idea is to attract a broader range of candidates, including women, minorities and others who might not be able to raise big money privately.

City Council candidates who collect $5 contributions from 1,000 Portland residents receive $150,000 in the primary. They get 30 percent after their donation list is certified. The rest comes 90 days before the election.

A coalition of business groups is trying to collect enough signatures to put a repeal of the public financing plan before voters next spring.