By ISAAC MONTEROSE
A Manhattan City Council member and supporters held a rally at City Hall Thursday to introduce a campaign finance reform law designed significantly to raise the cap on public funding in local races.
Democrat Ben Kallos, advocated that the spending limit for public funds be raised from $638, 825 to $995,571.
The proposal was portrayed at a later hearing of the Council Committee on Governmental Operations as a way to help candidates who aren’t connected to wealthy donors.
“No matter what your cause,” said Kallos, “the road to victory starts with campaign finance reform that amplifies the voices of residents over special interests.”
Citing a quote from then-business mogul (now President) Donald Trump in which he described how he used large donations to have control over “very important people” , Kallos said it was statements like these and other cases that “create an appearance of impropriety that leaves residents to wonder about corruption in government.”
He also criticized the state government in Albany by calling it “broken” and called Albany politics “beyond dysfunctional”.
Elvin Garcia, a Bronx native running for the City Council said at the rally that the bill would make “ten small donors feel like a hundred”.
When asked if the bill would impact Mayor de Blasio’s fundraising for his re-election campaign, Kallos said that the bill would go into effect next year if it was passed. “This legislation would mean that the next mayor of the City of New York could run on small dollars only,” he added.
Kallos’ fellow City Council Member, Carlos Menchaca, praised the bill, calling it something that “really kind of shows the real impact of staying and maintaining the conversations, the connections and the relationships with our small dollar donors.”
Representatives of various advocacy groups also showed their support. “I like having dinner in Gracie Mansion as well as the next guy, better than some, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Morris Pearl, the chairman of Patriotic Millionaires, a group of “high-net worth” people who see economic inequality as a detriment to society. “We need a democracy where everybody can participate and the council people and the mayor represent everybody in the city, not just the big donors.”
Moira McDermott, the Executive Director of the 21 in ’21 Initiative, described it as “an important step to getting more women elected into office” while others praised the bill for furthering political inclusiveness.
According to Kallos, chairman of the committee, the bill has a good chance of passing and moving to the full Council.
The mayor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Photo of Councilman Ben Kallos by Isaac Monterose
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