Saturday, December 11, 1999
Portune makes new pitch for reform
Those who meet limit would get public funds
BY HOWARD WILKINSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
A gathering of campaign finance reform activists at a Mount Auburn church this morning could lead to a new Cincinnati charter amendment overhauling how City Council campaigns are funded.
Councilman Todd Portune said he will unveil the latest version of his plan for public financing for council candidates who accept campaign spending limits.
“I want to see what kind of support there is for this in the community,” he said.
The Democrat authored two earlier campaign finance laws, both passed in 1995 — the campaign spending limit law, which was struck down by the courts, and the campaign contribution limits that council repealed before the 1999 council campaign. Some council members argued that the contribution limits did nothing to control campaign spending and may have hurt nonincumbents.
Mr. Portune's current plan would set up an optional system of public financing, where candidates for council could get $2 of public money for every $1 they raise, up to 67 percent of the expenditures limit for candidates for mayor and City Council.
The plan would set voluntary spending limits of three times a council member's salary for council candidates and three times the mayor's salary in the primary and general elections for mayor that will begin in 2001.
The Portune plan would also increase the number of times council candidates have to report their contributions in an election cycle.
Several campaign finance reform groups — Citizens for Civic Renewal, Dollars and Democracy, the League of Women Voters, Ohio Citizen Action and the Woman's City Club — are sponsoring the forum at 10 a.m. today at Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church.
Supporters of the Portune plan hope that either six members of council will vote to put the plan on the November 2000 ballot or the plan will reach the ballot through petition initiative.
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