City law sets a limit, but it’s above $23,000 and that’s a tough
figure to reach for many
Gilroy – Dion Bracco lost a race for City Council two years ago by fewer than 100 votes. As he gears up for another bid this fall, he wonders if a little more money would have made the difference.
Bracco spent just $3,555 on campaign materials in 2003, compared to the $8,000 spent by Councilman Roland Velasco, the first-place finisher among seven candidates.
“Last time I did the lawn signs and two mailings,” said Bracco, a local tow-truck company owner and chairman of the planning commission. “If I had the money, I probably would have done one more mailing.”
In preparation for the Nov. 8 election, he already has raised $2,000 of a $15,000 fundraising goal. And he’s not the only candidate angling for big dollars this campaign season.
Councilmen Bob Dillon, Craig Gartman, and Charles Morales all plan to raise $14,000 or more as they seek to defend their seats in November against Bracco and former Councilman Peter Arellano.
The city’s campaign finance rules cap expenditures in any election cycle to $23,836, based on a formula of 50 cents per resident. Candidates are allowed to raise beyond that amount, but must not spend more than the ceiling. Mayor Pinheiro, for instance, reported more than $25,000 in his campaign chest during his 2003 bid for the city’s top seat. A quarter of that money remained from a prior council campaign, and of the total, he spent $15,000 on his landslide election.
He said name recognition “made a difference in the past when it was a small community. But obviously now you have a lot of new faces, a lot of new people who don’t know you at all. It’s important to get your message out.”
Gartman, who is seeking a second term on council this fall, said he “hates asking people for money” but accepts fundraising as a fact of political life. He is now “sitting on around” $1,000″ in contributions, largely from private individuals, and is toying with the idea of holding a couple of formal fundraising events.
“I think it’s a sign of the times,” he said. “Printing costs have gone up. Postage has gone (up). It doesn’t sound like a lot until you realize you have to send out 10,000 pieces (of campaign literature). The overall cost of everything has gone up dramatically. Unfortunately, you’ve got to pay for it. You’ve got to get your message out.”
Arellano and Morales could not be reached for comment, but signs point to a season of aggressive fundraising in both of their camps. A campaign coordinator for Morales said the councilman, seeking his fourth term on council, plans to raise the maximum amount of $23,850. Both candidates will benefit from a Sept. 17 fundraiser held for them by the South County Democratic Club at the Hilton Garden Inn. Invitations to the event suggest donations of $30 and sponsorships of $100.
“For good or for bad, money does play a role in politics,” Councilman Roland Velasco said.
He raised $19,848 in his 2003 re-election, but spent $8,000. Strategy dictates the amount of money required, according to Velasco.
Dillon, who spent $8,600 during his first city council bid in 2001, will cut television advertisements from his campaign arsenal this time around. Yet he still plans to raise nearly double the amount of contributions, in part because of a decision to forego a 200-word ballot statement. The symbolic move, intended to save the city more than $1,500 in filing fees, could prove politically dangerous since the ballot reaches the home of every registered voter in the city. Dillon hopes to offset any loss of exposure through an aggressive advertising campaign.
At the same time, he acknowledged a natural limit to the influence of money in local politics.
“I think it can hit the saturation point rather easily,” he said. “It gets to the point that you get the political ads stuffing your mailbox and you throw them away. As soon as you see the first few mailers, you’ve pretty much made up your mind.”
Campaign finance fast facts
Expenditure limit: $23, 835.50
$250 limit on individual contributions
Contributions of $100 or more must be itemized
The three filing deadlines for contributions are: Sept. 29, 2005; Oct. 27, 2005; and Jan. 31, 2006.
