Lawmaker Seeks Full Public Campaign Financing

Candidates for city office could qualify for full public financing of their campaigns under legislation a City Council member plans to introduce soon.

"I think it would free candidates and elected officials to vote their conscience rather than watch out for the special interests where they get their money from," Council Member Tony Avella, a candidate for mayor in 2009, said of his bill.

Currently, the city uses a financing system that gives candidates $6 for every $1 they raise in campaign donations up to $175. Under Mr. Avella's proposal, candidates for city office would qualify for full public financing by collecting a certain number of $5 donations.

While he said he has not yet determined the additional cost to the city, Mr. Avella said his plan would require more funds than the current system, which paid out $24 million in 2005 and $42 million in 2001 to finance campaigns. Mr. Avella said some of the cost would be made up by reducing the spending limits on candidates, which now range between $161,000 for council candidates and $6.16 million for a mayoral run.

"I don't think there's any need for the amount of money we're spending," he said. "All we're making happy is the consultants. What I would like to see is less money spent — then the people would have to do real work in their communities to get their name out."

The executive director of Citizens Union, Richard Dadey, said he thought the current laws, whose creation he supported, hold more advantages than complete public financing.

"I think it strikes a very good balance between public support and citizen engagement in the campaign," Mr. Dadey said of the city's campaign finance laws. "As long as it's done in small individual contributions, there is a benefit to requiring candidates to raise private money because they get to have greater voter contact and build a campaign from it."