tle grey on the topic of accepting campaign donations. Some see it as a means to fund their campaign, a practice that is perfectly acceptable under provincial legislation so long as contributions are publicly reported. Others steer clear of accepting monetary donations, concerned that if elected they might be asked for something in return or there would be a perception that they are beholden to their benefactors.
Costs of elections can be substantial. It would be unfortunate if quality candidates who dislike the concept of accepting donations avoided running for council because they feel they've been priced out of the market. One candidate pointed out the flip side of that argument. If campaign contributions were disallowed, it could make running for office inaccessible to those who wish to run but who couldn't afford to fund his or her campaign out of pocket.
One Kings County businessman has helped to fund several municipal campaigns as of late. Don Wallace said he is doing so because he believes municipal politics is just as important as provincial or federal politics and mounting an effective campaign isn't cheap. He said it isn't about having candidates owe him favours if elected: he just wants to support those candidates he deems a good choice for electors,
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Whether or not one believes there are no strings attached to campaign contributions, the spirit of provincial legislation seems to be to keep municipal campaign funding accountable and transparent. If there were no legal requirement to disclose donations, it would create ample room for abuse.
The legislations also makes sure campaign contributions are open to public scrutiny.
A candidate who was elected could be in a conflict of interest as soon as he or she took any action to benefit a campaign contributor. It is up to an individual councillor to declare whether he or she is in a conflict of interest and,
Karen Millen Sale, if nothing else, having "Form 40" information publicly reported will help keep the practice of contributing to municipal campaigns honest.
A municipal candidate can still run a successful campaign without spending a lot of money, but it seems the more resources you can muster, the better your chances of being elected. Lawn signs,
Karen Millen Outlet, colour brochures, mailouts and advertising can run into significant cost, especially if a candidate wants to use all these campaign tools.Campaign Finance Reform and the Supreme Court
The constitutionality of campaign finance reform has been debated for decades now,
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Back in the 1970s, Congress started passing significant campaign finance restrictions. A few years later, the Watergate scandal broke, leaving Congress with the difficult task of trying to restore public faith in public servants. So, it added even stricter amendments to the legislation. To eliminate bribery, these laws set limits on how much money people can donate to a campaign. To limit the wealthy candidates from having an unfair advantage, this legislation also set guidelines on how much money candidates can spend. The amendments also created the Federal Election Commission (FEC), an independent regulatory agency that discloses campaign information, enforces campaign finance laws, and oversees the public funding of presidential elections [source: FEC].
The Supreme Court addressed the legislation in Buckley v. Valeo. In it, the court grappled with the challenge that limiting campaign finances also restricts free speech. The judges held that, because campaign finance reform was an important safeguard against corruption, it's within the constitutional boundaries to restrict how much money someone can donate to a campaign. It also decided that, because wealthy candidates cannot possibly bribe themselves, restricting how much a candidate can spend doesn't prevent corruption and is an unconstitutional restriction of free speech [source: Oyez].
So that brings us up to 2002,
www.theblackcenturion.com, when Congress passed BCRA. As we mentioned earlier, the act increased limits on campaign contributions. It also banned political advertisements before an election to level the playing field for candidates who face a wealthy opponent.
Congress faced the scrutiny of the Supreme Court after it passed the BCRA. In McConnell v. FEC, the court upheld much of BCRA. It ruled that the need to control corruption overshadowed any minor threat to free speech [source: Oyez]. But it also admitted that "money,
Burberry Factory Outlet, like water, will always find an outlet," referring to how money is intertwined with politics,
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