City Councilman Bob Dillon said he will save the city $1,538 in
election costs by turning down a chance to include a 200-word
statement in this fall’s ballot brochure.
Gilroy – City Councilman Bob Dillon said he will save the city $1,538 in election costs by turning down a chance to include a 200-word statement in this fall’s ballot brochure.
“When I saw the figure (for the candidate statement), I thought the amount was outrageous,” he said. “I worry about every vote, but I don’t think it’s fair to stick the city with a $1,500 bill when my campaign can afford it.”
Dillon said he will instead use his own campaign funds to spread the word in local papers about his bid for a second term on City Council. He added that he would restrict his newspaper advertisements to the 200 words afforded to fellow candidates in the ballot brochure.
“I acknowledge the importance of (the ballot statement), but I think I can overcome it,” he said. “You only get the ballot brochure once. I can appear in the paper many times.”
Dillon is one of three councilmen whose seat is up for grabs in the Nov. 8 election. Councilmen Craig Gartman and Charles Morales, who both have stated their desire to run for re-election, could not be reached for comment on Dillon’s cost-saving strategy.
Planning Commission chair and council hopeful Dion Bracco did not believe Dillon would hurt his chances by passing on the ballot statement.
“He’s a city councilman so people would know who he is,” Bracco said.
He would not say if he would follow suit until he learned more about the costs involved in the ballot statement.
The county requires the fee for any candidate who wishes to include a 200-word statement outlining his or her political platform. The fee includes $475 for handling, $350 fee for typesetting, $313 for printing costs, and $400 for translation into four languages other than English, according to Jesse Durazo, Santa Clara County’s registrar of voters.
There are nearly 17,000 registered voters in Gilroy, Durazo said.
While Dillon plans to pass up his chance to get free advertising in every registered voter’s mailbox, he does not begrudge others the opportunity. In fact, he said he has voted at least once in recent years to ensure the city continues to pay the cost, instead of following the example of other cities that have shifted part or all of the fee onto candidates.
The rationale for the city to pick up the tab, Mayor Al Pinheiro said, “is because this is a job that I don’t think we have people line up for and (a fee) could discourage people from running. We didn’t want it to be a matter of whether or not you have funds.”
“There are many other ways to get to the voter besides that ballot statement,” Pinheiro added. “Maybe what (Councilman Dillon) is banking on is that he’s known. That’s a call that him and his campaign committee has to make.”
Dillon’s announcement comes in the wake of a Santa Clara County civil grand jury report criticizing the high cost of participating in school district races, which range from $1,100 to $7,000 per candidate depending on the size of the district, according to the report. Candidates in the Gilroy Unified School District had to pay $1,498 to run in November.
The grand jury report stated that “the large majority of school board candidates in the November 2, 2004 general election found the fee to place a written statement of qualifications on the Sample Ballot to be either a disincentive or a financial hardship.… (An) overwhelming majority of candidates (82%) thought that other potential candidates were discouraged from running because of this fee.”
County registrar of voters Durazo pointed out, however, that arguments exist on both sides of the ballot fee debate.
“You have one group espousing the idea that anybody should run, especially if they don’t have money,” he said. “Then you have another group that says wait a minute … People should put their money where their mouth is. My job is to stay neutral in that debate. My job is to collect the fees.”
