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On election reform and campaign financing . . . Springfield’s primary election cost Sangamon
County taxpayers between $45,000 and $50,000 to tally votes in four city
wards where there would not have otherwise been any need to hold an
election. Mayor Tim Davlin wants that to change. His top challenger, Ward
10 Ald. Bruce Strom, also sees the need for reform. Davlin raised eyebrows when he announced in December
that he would not accept campaign contributions from individuals who
contributed to his opponents’ campaigns. Strom, says Davlin’s
“rule” has made it difficult for his campaign to raise
much-needed cash to compete with Davlin’s nearly half-million-dollar
war chest.
Tim Davlin Stranger than fiction? — On an episode of the HBO cop drama series The Wire, Baltimore’s mayor, in
the midst of a reelection campaign, orders his chief of staff to alert
supporters that anyone contributing to both his campaign and those of his
opponents will be denied favors should he win another term. Davlin says
he’s never seen The Wire and thought up the idea on his own. Immodest proposal — “If
I survive this thing, I’m putting up a referendum to change the way
we vote so that if there’s a primary and you get 51 percent of the
vote, the election’s over. Talk about a waste of money!”
Bruce Strom The play on Davlin —
“What Mayor Davlin did is a variation of pay-for-play, where
he’s basically sending out a signal that says, ‘If you
contribute to my opponent . . .’ — what he said is
‘I’ll give your money back,’ but I think that’s a
signal or code that says ‘You’re not going to be welcome to
come play with me in my yard.’ And has it had some effect [on
fundraising]? Sure it has.”
Concurs on doing away with unnecessary primaries — “It doesn’t make any sense to me, and
it seems like it’s a foolish law and perhaps needs to be revisited
and changed. I’m not against write-in candidates, but I don’t
see the purpose in write-in candidates’ being given the same stature
in terms of triggering whether or not there will be a primary.”
Citizens decide elections. For this reason, from now
until Election Day, we will let candidates explain in their own words where
they stand the on issues that matter to you. Let us know your issues.
Contact R.L. Nave at rnave@illinoistimes.com
This article appears in Feb 22-28, 2007.
