Understanding the issue
One ethical question – should we limit campaign donations? – has shaped the 2007 primary election more than any other.
This is the first election in Philadelphia with donation limits. However, in 2007 there’s a big exception to the idea of limits: His name is Tom Knox. Knox, a very successful businessman, has pledged to spend up to $15 million of his own money for his campaign. And the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that campaign limits don’t apply to self-funded candidates.
Knox’s arrival in the race did change the 2007 limits a little: Because of a so-called “millionaire’s provision,” the campaign donation limits rose for the other candidates, so that the limits in the 2007 race were actually $5,000 from individuals per candidate per calendar year, and $20,000 from businesses, PACs, unions and other groups per candidate per calendar year (normally, the limits are $2,500 from individuals and $10,000 per group.)
But what Knox really did was change the race, buying well over $300,000 in advertising every week since going on the air in January. His ad buys put him on top in the polls – but also led to a wide conversation about campaign finance limits in Philadelphia, including one failed effort to loosen them.
This and other ethical issues were handled by the city’s new board of ethics (which voters had overwhelmingly voted for in the 2005 election).
Meanwhile, voters remained eager for ethics reform. In our first poll, 94 percent of respondents said they would be much more or somewhat more likely to support a candidate with "a plan to reduce the amount of corruption in city government."
70's Ethics agenda
The Committee of 70 has issued a challenge: Will the mayoral candidates commit to running a ethical race — and an ethical administration?
Seventy has published an "ethics agenda," a set of three top principles and more than two dozen reforms that aims to clean up some of the dirtiest practices of Philadelphia politics. The committee has asked the candidates to agree publicly to govern by them -- and to agree to run a civil, fair campaign as well.
Did the candidates agree? Read more...
Compare the candidates' ethics plans
Read Tom Knox's statement on government ethics
Read Chaka Fattah's ethics plan
Read Nutter's ethics plan
Read what each candidate said about a proposal to lift campaign finance limits
Read their responses to the Committee of 70's Ethics agenda
From The Next Mayor Community Network:
The R.E.F.O.R.M. agenda
Philadelphia Forward -- a member of our Next Mayor community network -- asked the community to write its agenda for political reform and then to vote on the final product.
Check out the results of the R.E.F.O.R.M. agenda.
An attempt to remove campaign finance limits
Kenney withdraws financing bill (2/15/07) WHYY News
Coming together, council challengers protest Kenney bill (2/14/07) WHYY News
Kenney pulls bills back (2/14/07) Daily News
Kenney bills blasted (2/14/07) Daily News
Kenney reconsidering donor limits (2/6/07) Daily News
Kenney, Council seek to eliminate campaign finance limits. (2/2/07) WHYY News
THE CANDIDATES ON LIFTING CAMPAIGN LIMITS (2/2/07) Daily News Editorial
Kenney bill could level the field (2/1/07) Daily News
Who's a candidate? Those who declare they are
Council OKs bill defining when candidacy begins (10/27/06) Daily News
Public financing of campaigns? (Not yet.)
Campaign-finance bill for city OK'd by House (10/24/06) Daily News
Neil Oxman: "The amount of money in politics is absolutely abhorrent. It is awful." ( 6/6/06) Daily News
WHYY News: Brad Linder reports: would public financing lower the cost of getting out the vote? (RealAudio, 4/27/06)
From WHYY News: Brad Linder reports that State Rep. Dwight Evans has questions about the new campaign finance laws. (RealAudio, 2/2/06)
From WHYY News: Brad Linder reports that for the first time mayoral candidates face limits to their fundraising - or do they? (RealAudio, 2/1/06)
More from the Committee of Seventy:
Committee of Seventy CEO Zack Stalberg on a new law about political fundraising that's trying to get the election out of the hands of few wealthy donors... if the candidates follow the rules. (QuickTime)
From WHYY News: Zack Stalberg talks about the irrelevance of early fundraising totals and the Committee of Seventy's plans to ensure that campaign finance laws are followed. (RealAudio)
Efforts at reform
From WHYY News: Then-Councilman Michael Nutter on what the ethics bills would do (RealAudio)
The legacy of reformer Richardson Dilworth
Watch as Zack Stalberg talks about Richardson Dilworth. (QuickTime)
WHAT YOU SAID
"The issue that matters to me most are the little perks, expense accounts and all the ways these people manage to get every little dime out of the city and into there own pockets or there staffs. Be it from sitting on bogus committee's or boards - whatever it is. The pay raise issue that went down in the state is just a reminder to all of us how greedy politicians are. So if you can try to inform the people all the perks these councilmen receive. Thanks."
-- "rmurph107"
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