Not too many years ago, The Dispatch called into question a
campaign
”
war chest
”
amassed by then-mayor Don Gage.
Not too many years ago, The Dispatch called into question a campaign “war chest” amassed by then-mayor Don Gage. He hit the $10,000 mark in funds raised and we said “too much money for a small town political race,” and suggested a donation to charity. If memory serves, Gage agreed and helped various organizations with leftover campaign cash.
A decade or so later and we’ve arrived at a new truth: the political landscape in Gilroy is changing. For better or worse, this is becoming a place where some candidates are launching what they hope to be political careers, where unions have decided that money is well spent and where pro-development forces are sure to respond and spend more than they have in the past.
Some may think like City Council candidate Paul Correa who counts 23 campaign donors on his list and only four who reside in Gilroy. “It just shows I can leverage my contacts to combat the current machine that runs Gilroy,” Correa said. “It’s good that I don’t have the usual suspects in my pocket.”
Maybe that’s true. Or maybe it’s a shame. Maybe the City Council should consider adopting a campaign donation standard that asks candidates to sign a pledge to accept donations from city residents and businesses only, along with the limit on the total amount raised – say $6,000. If you can’t get elected on that, well, we don’t want you in charge. Next thing you know, you’ll be voting to spend $26 million on a new Taj Mahal police station.
But we digress.
Politics is becoming a more serious business in Gilroy. There’s an edge that wasn’t there a decade ago and the stakes are getting higher. Before the Nov. 4 election we’ll probably be receiving more slick brochures in the mail and seeing more newspaper ads than ever before, filled with lovely, smiling pictures and one-line political pronouncements.
Gilroy voters need to be clear about the money trail from donor to candidate. Money buys an ear, if not direct influence, whether it’s from a home developer or a labor union. (See the track record on Gov. Davis).
Just as importantly, voters will have to judge the character of the individual they plan to vote for. What will those campaign donations buy? Will $1,000 from a union buy a local livable wage proposal? Will $1,000 from a shopping center developer buy a lucrative economic incentive deal?
Electing good representatives takes work. We urge voters to read about candidates, scrutinize brochures, talk to friends and make informed decisions. Politics in Gilroy is becoming a game of hardball, and we voters better be ready to hit the high, hard one.
