POR 2016 #180 · Agenda item attachment · Jun 20 2016

City of Cambridge O-8 ORIGINAL ORDER IN CITY COUNCIL June 20, 2016 COUNCILLOR MAZEN COUNCILLOR CHEUNG COUNCILLOR CARLONE COUNCILLOR DEVEREUX WHEREAS: Since 1996, states and municipalities have begun implementing full public financing of elections, as part of a "Clean Election" movement, in an attempt to return politics to the people; and WHEREAS: Public financing programs have been shown to reduce the overall cost of elections, preventing the further escalation of campaign spending, and reducing the time both candidates and incumbents need to spend fundraising instead of engaging residents or working on policy; and WHEREAS: Public financing will encourage candidates who lack substantial resources, effectively lowering the barrier for entry, increasing the ideological and socio-economic diversity, and expanding the range of policy positions put before the electorate; and WHEREAS: Public grants can make elections more policy focused by reducing the fundraising advantages that, in particular, incumbents have over challengers, increasing candidate diversity; and WHEREAS: Public funding can reduce the dependence of both candidates and officeholders on individual, labor, and committee contributions; and WHEREAS: In 1998 Massachusetts voters approved by a margin of 2-1, The Clean Elections Law which provided public financing of statewide elections with 77% of Cambridge residents voting in favor of the initiative; and WHEREAS: In 2002, The Clean Elections Law was effectively repealed, through an amendment to the state's budget which eliminated funding for this popular initiative; and WHEREAS: Upon enacting a public financing program in Albuquerque, NM in 2007, the total campaign expenditures of the ten elected officials in the city fell to $512,000, which was less than half of the of the more than $1.2 million spent by one mayoral candidate alone in 2005; and WHEREAS: There exists a campaign matching fund program in New York City, NY, where only 6% of campaign funds come from special interests, compared to 69% of funds in the rest of the state; and

WHEREAS: Only 19% of Minnesotans are concerned about corruption in government, compared to 30% of Ohioans and 49% of Illinois residents, as Minnesota is the only state out of the three with a public financing program; and WHEREAS: Publicly funded municipal elections can set a powerful precedent as one step towards nationwide campaign finance reform; now therefore be it ORDERED: That the City Council hold a joint meeting of Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration, and the Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committees to discuss different models for campaign finance reform and publicly-funded municipal elections in Cambridge.