If you've been reading the Eye for a while you know that we have shall we say... a few issues with the Albuquerque Closed and Un-Ethical Elections ordinance. Passed by the voters five years ago, the ordinance puts the costs of an election not on voluntary contributors but on (you guessed it) the taxpayers.
The spin was that making taxpayers pay for elections somehow took money out of the election while making it easier for average "Joes" to participate in city elections. Of course, the scheme had the opposite effect. This year a field of seven potential mayoral candidates was paired down to just three simply because the other four potential candidates couldn't field the army of volunteers required to collect the necessary signatures and $5 donations. Two of those candidates were sitting City Councilors whose name ID alone should make them viable mayoral candidates under any other system.
Our Eyes have it that a former City Councilor who'd like to have his old job back is seriously considering forgoing taxpayer largess and running a clean campaign based on voluntary contributions. It's an option that isn't available to mayoral candidates due to restrictions on the size of contributions and where those contributions come from. But in a council race, it's still possible to raise the same amount of money through conventional voluntary means and the Eyes have it that Commissioner Alan Armijo intends to do just that in his District 3 race against Comrade, uh... Councilor Isaac Benton.
Of course $30,000 or so won't put a dent in the tab that taxpayers will foot for the upcoming election, but we applaud Armijo for standing on principle and challenging the politically correct crowd who are both duping the public and been duped by the likes of activist Eli Lee. This crazy public financing system protects incumbents and makes the only viable challengers people like Lee who can bring manpower and his non-profits to bear against his rivals.
6 comments:
Thank you Alan Armijo for saving us $30,000. I won't hold it against other candidates for taking the public money if needed to be competitive, but leaving it on the table is welcome.
Can you name one thing Alan Armijo did while he was with the city. And when he went to the county, I know he does not believe in public input. Remember when they changed the County Commission Districts and Paradise Hills got sold out to the NE Dist. Thanks Alan. Time for you to retire.
"Eschews"?!
For real? Look it up.
Regulation is bad because it increases the cost of doing business and those costs are passed on to the customer. Tax increases are bad because they increase the cost to the customer. I think the author of this blog believes both of the previous sentences.
Businesses and their owners give most donations. Political donations are a cost of doing businesses similar to a tax. This cost is passed on to the customer. In reality, the tax payer is already financing the campaign. The problem with the old system is, we all pay but only the person passes on the cost gets access to politicians.
Alan Armijo deserves the chance to serve District 3. Ike Benton has been a joke these last 4 years! He ran a NASTY campaign on no platform, when he was first elected. He's obviously on the side of architects, out-of-state developers, many of the 1,000 Friends, and other lobbying groups who give big money to his campaign.
He has only his special interests in mind and not that of the constituents of District 3. He's done NADA for us but encourage the over-development of Albuquerque to the City's detriment. Take a trip down Central, particularly EDO (East Downtown, as see all the vacant, unaffordable housing and retail space that he supported. I'm happy to see the investors of that fiasco paying big debt service with little or no income. Perhaps, these cronies will focus on the bigger cities like NY, LA, and Chicago, where in-fill is necessary.
The cost of oil and new fuel resources will dictate where people will migrate in the future. Let the free market do the work. We need to stop the likes of Benton and his special interest groups from destroying our fine City.
Oh, and thanks Mr. Armijo for "shunning" the Public Financing. You have my support because you work for Albuquerque's citizens and concerns. I particularly like your stand on Parks and Open Space. I'm proud to be a Westerner!
PS I hope you can help bring back constituent services to Albuquerque to replace the clowns that support some of the City Councilors and their special interests. If you complain or ask a question of the current Council staff, they quickly become defensive, never answer your concern or question, and block your voice from being heard. It's a disgrace! WE NEED YOU!!!
Post a Comment