City Hall
Council Member O'Brien: Despite Study, Influence of Money In City Races Hasn't Diminished
In an unprecedented move, city council member Mike O'Brien announced earlier this week that he plans to raise his first $10,000 for reelection in $10 increments, "To demonstrate that campaigns are still about people, not just money," starting with his campaign kickoff Monday, March 5, at the Hub in Pioneer Square.
In a phone conversation today, O'Brien said that despite yesterday's report showing that campaign contributions in city races have declined (and independent expenditures have "fallen off a cliff"), he believes the influence of money in local politics remains pervasive and insidious.
Pointing to the rise in large expenditures at the city level, where contributions are limited to $700, O'Brien said, "Look at last year's races, [most] of which weren't contested, and you have to ask, Why are people writing these $700 checks? It's clearly buying access. It's, we want to make sure we know this person instead of, who do you like and who shares your values and want to win?" O'Brien says. "I want to make sure I have access to this person. Tom [Rasmussen], Tim [Burgess], and Sally [Clark]---I don't know that anyone ever thought there was a prayer that their opponents would defeat them," yet all three raised more than $200,000.
It seemed unlikely to me, I said, that $700 contributions would make much difference in a $300,000 race. Meanwhile, the report found that independent expenditures were basically nonexistent at the local level.
O'Brien disagreed, arguing that a $700 contribution from an individual or local group was much more likely to ensure personal access than an independent expenditure by a large group backed by corporations, like the IE groups that tried to defeat O'Brien and Mayor Mike McGinn in 2009. "I think they dumped in $130,000 against me and a couple hundred grand against McGinn," O'Brien says.
On a separate matter, I asked O'Brien whether collecting $10,000 in small, perhaps cash, donations, would harm public disclosure, since only people contributing more than $25 are required to report their name.
O'Brien responded: "We will be working hard to collect data on all donations no matter how small. For small donations, this information is often compiled on financial reports so that the details do not show up on public reports, but the data is in the database."
In a phone conversation today, O'Brien said that despite yesterday's report showing that campaign contributions in city races have declined (and independent expenditures have "fallen off a cliff"), he believes the influence of money in local politics remains pervasive and insidious.
Pointing to the rise in large expenditures at the city level, where contributions are limited to $700, O'Brien said, "Look at last year's races, [most] of which weren't contested, and you have to ask, Why are people writing these $700 checks? It's clearly buying access. It's, we want to make sure we know this person instead of, who do you like and who shares your values and want to win?" O'Brien says. "I want to make sure I have access to this person. Tom [Rasmussen], Tim [Burgess], and Sally [Clark]---I don't know that anyone ever thought there was a prayer that their opponents would defeat them," yet all three raised more than $200,000.
It seemed unlikely to me, I said, that $700 contributions would make much difference in a $300,000 race. Meanwhile, the report found that independent expenditures were basically nonexistent at the local level.
O'Brien disagreed, arguing that a $700 contribution from an individual or local group was much more likely to ensure personal access than an independent expenditure by a large group backed by corporations, like the IE groups that tried to defeat O'Brien and Mayor Mike McGinn in 2009. "I think they dumped in $130,000 against me and a couple hundred grand against McGinn," O'Brien says.
On a separate matter, I asked O'Brien whether collecting $10,000 in small, perhaps cash, donations, would harm public disclosure, since only people contributing more than $25 are required to report their name.
O'Brien responded: "We will be working hard to collect data on all donations no matter how small. For small donations, this information is often compiled on financial reports so that the details do not show up on public reports, but the data is in the database."
