Council to eye elections funds

In the graphic accompanying the story "City council to eye election funds," the public grant is a larger source of funding than qualifying contributions. The chart also represents the maximum funds candidates can raise. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error and a corrected chart has now been posted.

Chapel Hill could become a model for "voter-owned" elections throughout the state if the Chapel Hill Town Council adopts a proposal that would create publicly funded grants for municipal candidates.

Citizens spoke at a public forum May 14 before the Town Council and a crowd of about three dozen.

If enacted, the ordinance could drastically alter the nature of political campaigns in Chapel Hill.

The program is voluntary and would require participants to demonstrate a strong measure of community support before receiving public funding.

Candidates for Town Council would have to raise $750 in donations of $5 to $20 from at least 75 people to qualify for a grant of $3,000 from the council, while mayoral candidates would need to raise $1,500 of equally-sized donations from at least 150 people to qualify for a grant of $9,000.

Council candidates are limited to raising and spending $2,250, and mayoral candidates are limited to $4,500.

The N.C. General Assembly mandated that the town hold a public hearing on the issue before finalizing a decision.

Council member Sally Greene said these requirements could make grassroots campaigns a necessity for municipal candidates and would compel town leaders to be more responsive to the needs of their constituents.

She referenced her own campaign, in which she said she relied heavily on grassroots fundraising.

"By the time I was elected I had the ability to know that I had been supported by lots and lots of people," she said. "I still know that I have that base."

The majority of citizens who spoke to the council said they approve of the ordinance.

The supporters of the ordinance, who ranged from ordinary citizens to representatives for major political organizations throughout the state, said they view the proposal as a crucial step in curbing the increasing influence of money in politics.

But recently defeated mayoral candidate Kevin Wolfe raised concerns about the impact of the legislation on what he described as "the power of incumbency."

Wolfe, who lost to Mayor Kevin Foy in the last municipal election, said he thinks publicly financed campaigns will make it nearly impossible to defeat incumbents.

"What you're going to do is allow them to take public funds and sit in their seat," he said.

"And unless they are completely obstinate and you become disenchanted as a complete community, you will not be able to get them out of their seats or out of their office."

References were made to newly-elected council member Matt Czajkowski's partially self-financed campaign, through which he defeated incumbent Cam Hill in November.

Some council members suggested that citizens do not connect as much with office holders whose campaigns are self-financed.

Czajkowski said that he is not opposed to the idea of publicly financed campaigns but that he doubts that special interests have ever been a problem in Chapel Hill elections.

Chase Foster, coordinator for N.C. Voters for Clean Elections, said he thinks money could become a problem in Chapel Hill politics if the ordinance is not adopted.

"We see this as part of the system of making democracy work in a meaningful way," he said.

"It is a sort of preemptive effort to prepare the town of Chapel Hill for the future when races might be more exclusive."

The council will vote on the proposal June 9.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.