George,

I found the article on campaign finance in this week’s C-ville to be very disturbing, even if it is only partially true. Call me naïve, but I had assumed that our small community was immune from the scourge of special interest money and the inevitable skewing of the democratic process that accompanies it. I am offended by the notion of the development lobby pumping dollars into the city council election and the possibility that our elected officials might be beholden to these interests. I find it especially disconcerting that the CAAR would fund all the candidates, essentially hedging its bets and trying to maximize its return on investment.

I ask all City Council candidates to refuse any donation above $100.00, and I hope that the candidates of the Democratic Party will take the lead on this. Doing so would send a clear message that our city will not fall victim to the cynical relationship between politicians and deep-pocketed special interests that plagues politics at the state and national level. This dynamic is a very large reason why ordinary people feel so alienated from the political process.

I realize that it takes money to run a campaign and win a city council election. But let’s not put winning ahead of doing what’s best for our community.

Sincerely,

John Potter (electronic mail, April 13, 2000).