I don't know if there is more corruption in Seattle and San Francisco than
here in Minneapolis. Apparently enough people thought there was a problem to
have been able to pass campaign finance ordinances. I have only been in
Minneapolis since 1992 and don't have a clear idea of what went on before but
since arriving here I have not felt that there was corruption in city or
county government. The mayors and council members have done some really
questionable stuff from a public policy perspective but I haven't seen
anything in the newspapers charging corruption.
Before we change campaign finance laws, let's have a good reason to do so.
Are R. T. Ryback and others charging that there has been wrongdoing? Who has
done wrongly and what were the circumstances? Is there evidence of probative
value?
Or, is this a debate around the issue of searching for material with which to
attack incumbents? Is it possible that the folks pushing for campaign finance
reform at the local level would use an incumbent's receipt of a check from a
Pohlad as fodder for an attack? I don't know if the mayor has received a
campaign contribution from the Minnesota Education Association but if she
has, will there be an attack on her objectivity when it comes to education
financing? I don't know if Audrey Johnson received campaign contributions
from retailers who collect sales taxes and believe it an onerous burden but
if she has, is her current position supporting continued use of the property
tax as the appropriate mechanism for funding schools a result of a principled
stand or because she was bought off by the anti-sales-tax interests?
Ken Stewart
Nokomis Village
12-9
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