June 25th, 2008 - The Beacon News - Author: Dan Campana

Campaign finance talks fire up

AURORA -- The city's first conversation of two campaign finance proposals produced lively exchanges during a City Council committee meeting Tuesday.

In the last month, Mayor Tom Weisner, as well as mayoral candidate and Alderman Rick Lawrence, have introduced rules to limit contributions to city officials and those seeking office in Aurora from businesses and individuals doing work for the city.

Corporate Counsel Alayne Weingartz spoke on behalf of Weisner's proposal and noted it bears resemblance to rules in place in Chicago. The mayor's inclusion of a voluntary limit on how much a candidate could spend of his or her own money is what discerns the proposals from Weisner and Lawrence.

Weingartz cut off Lawrence, who sat to her left at the committee's table, when he tried to assert Weisner copied him.
Although Lawrence's ordinance landed on the Government Operations Committee agenda twice before, no discussions occurred. Alderman Scheketa Hart-Burns, who chairs the group, said she never received a copy of Lawrence's ordinance.

Burns also admonished Lawrence, who at one point said "given the climate here," campaign finance is a pressing issue in Aurora. He suggested a connection between Weisner donors and those receiving city funds through contracts and other means.

"Let us look at the issue before us," Burns said to Lawrence. "Everything else is an assumption on your part."

When the conversation focused on campaign finance, Assistant Chief of Staff Carie Anne Ergo reiterated Weisner's contention that his ordinance would level the playing field and give greater access to the electoral process in Aurora.

"We've all seen what happens in politics with money," she said.

She said a personal spending limit means a candidate would have to show he or she has a wider base of support beyond the money they put into a campaign. Lawrence disagreed with the idea of money being equated to votes.

Fellow Alderman Stephanie Kifowit, who also is running for mayor, pointed out that an ethics board governs campaign finance regulations in Chicago, where the mayor is bound by more stringent rules than anyone else.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg on ethics reform," Kifowit said of the proposals.

More about how Aurora would monitor campaign contributions and the city's ethics rules is expected at the committee's next meeting.

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