'Clean Elections' Would Help Tenants

By Pamela Bennett

Landlords understand the importance of elections. In every election cycle, New York City landlords, developers, and landlord organizations contribute staggering amounts of money to political candidates. In 2006, real-estate interests contributed over $9 million to statewide and legislative candidates, including upstate legislators who don't have a single rent-regulated apartment in their districts.

In the current political system, the only way for tenants to have real power and a voice with the legislature is to raise funds and be involved in elections. But that is certainly no easy task. Tenants will never be able to compete with the amount of money given by real-estate interests.

The solution is clear. Tenants and the many interests that represent the regular citizens of New York City and the state will only have a fair shot at getting their voices heard in the Legislature if New York State enacts full public funding of campaigns. Candidates could then run for office without needing money from the wealthy special interests who fight everyday for the decontrol of rent-regulated apartments.

Clean Elections is an option which allows candidates to qualify for public campaign funds—for both the primary and the general election—by raising a predetermined number of small donations from registered voters in their district. The candidates commit to running their campaigns without raising any additional funds from private donors, and they agree to spending caps and public disclosure. If they are being significantly out spent by a privately funded opponent, their public grant is increased so they can stay competitive.

How could it work? It's working successfully in Arizona and Maine, in North Carolina for judicial races, and this year, full public funding of campaigns is an option for the candidates and voters in Connecticut. Janet Napolitano, the twice-elected governor of Arizona, credits the Clean Elections system in place there for her state's ability to negotiate with large pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices.

How does it work now? We should call this the "free my legislator from the onerous- task of fundraising" bill. Let's imagine that I decide to run for the state Assembly. I would have to spend the majority of my time sitting in a little room with a telephone, a list of donors, and inspirational sayings on the wall to keep me dialing for dollars, with an ever-watchful fundraiser at my side making suggestions as to what I could say to each person to motivate them into sending me a check. Every now and again, I could leave my little room to attend a high-ticket fundraiser where wealthy donors would talk to me about the things near and dear to them. Perhaps by the end of the campaign, I would be able to appear at a supermarket or subway stop to ask voters for their support.

Under a system of full public campaign financing, I could choose to go directly to the registered voters in my district and collect a predetermined number of small contributions to my campaign, Connecticut in its Clean Elections legislation accepts only contributions up to $100. I would then be eligible to receive a public grant for the primary, and if I win that, for the general election. I could then spend the rest of my time talking to voters in my district about the issues that matter to them. Most important, I would be accountable only to the voters in my district.

The current system of campaign financing gives special interests undue influence on public policy. It has prevented important legislation from being passed and blocked real solutions to the harsh problems facing New Yorkers. We know that affordable housing in New York City is disappearing. We know that the developers and real-estate interests contributed over $9 million to statewide and legislative candidates in 2006. And we think that full public funding of campaigns in New York State would be a major step toward solving our affordable-housing crisis.

What can you do to help? Citizen Action of New York is working with members of the Legislature to level the paying field for all New Yorkers. We are encouraging them to write and pass legislation this year that will put a full public campaign-funding option in place.

With full public campaign funding and the armies of grass-roots tenant advocates working to elect pro-tenant candidates, New York City could once again be a mecca for the working families, seniors, and young people who are now being displaced.

Pamela Bennett is director of Citizen Action of New York City, (212) 523-0180; www.citizenactionny.org. To get involved, contact kguild@citizenactionny.org. Call your legislator and tell them that you support Clean Elections – full public campaign funding.

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