Bronco's Running Scared!

  Give it up Dave!  Our Mayor, Dave Bronconnier just refuses to let the campaign fundraising issue go.  He brought this issue up last February and continues to push it in advance of the 2010 Calgary Municipal Election.  If you really think about it, it is not hard to see why!   His last challenger, Alnoor ( I will fund this campaign myself) Kassam caused Dave to spend a larger chunk of his campaign war chest than he hoped for, in order to compete in 2007.  Alnoor was never a serious threat, unlike the uphill battle the mayor is facing in 2010. 

 If Alderman Ric McIver decides to run for Mayor, he will win in a landslide.  So, if you are an unpopular, lame duck Mayor on his way out the door, what do you do?  Limit your challengers ability to raise funds.  I do not necessarily disagree with the "new" rules they are proposing, but I think that it is unfair to impose them on an existing group.  Like I said before, "Why Now Bronco"?...  if he is  so keen on the new rules, why should he be able to use the $300K+ that he already has stored in his mattress?  Why not just donate it to charity now and just run on the money you raise going forward.  Not likely?  You better believe it....

 Personally, I do not think Bronco is going to run again, regardless of what he has said publicly.  I believe that he announced his "intention" to run again to stop the flow of funds from his arch-rival, Ric McIver.  Bronco is a lame duck mayor and knows that if he announced he would not seek re-election, he would not be able to try and push through his socialist policies on the citizens of Calgary in 2009/10.   I can foresee a "change of heart" come August, when he will announce that he wants to spend "more time with his family" and not run for Mayor.

 If he does run again, the $5000 cap is not a big deal to him.  Take a look at his campaign contribution disclosure from 2007 here.  Most of the donations are under $5,000, save  a few giant donations from some of Calgary's largest construction/development companies.  It is truly an interesting ( and telling) read. 

Either way...I am just hoping that Ric McIver announces his intention to run.  I have a new pair of runners for door knocking and a piggy bank full of coins to donate.  Don't worry, it will be under $5,000 though!

Calgary Campaign Finance Reform...Why Now Mayor Bronconnier?

In a story that just keeps popping up over and over since the 2007 Civic Election, Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier has once again brought up campaign financing reform issues in the news. Some may remember that this was a big issue following the last election and it seemed that most of the Alderman, and especially the Mayor were going to make this a priority. We are now at the midway point of the term and still....nothing has changed.

Remember Alnoor Kassam's attempt to "buy" the mayors seat in the last election? He spent $1MM dollars of his OWN money ( as he had little to no fundraising or donations ) and was able to match Bronconnier's sizable war chest. I am sure that this gave Dave a bit of a scare, as he likely figured that he had enough donations to run away with the election. With the 2010 election just around the corner, I think that Bronco wants to re-open this debate as a means to limit his potential opponents ( ie. RIC MCIVER) ability to fund raise under the same rules he was able to. Bronco already has over $300,000 in a campaign surplus fund that will be waiting for him in 2010.

Bronconnier has re-opened the debate and wants to add some new changes for Mayoral candidates including donation limits. I wonder if the mayor would have been open to these changes in previous campaigns, when he received some very generous donations...? (check them out here. ) I like the $19K donation from BFI ( a garbage removal company)...and the $18K donation from Intergul Cidex, a home builder. While I understand that fundraising is a necessity in politics, these are massive donations! Wow...and no tax receipt for these either.

With the mayor lacking in leadership and creative ideas, perhaps Bronconnier should look to Ald. Ric McIver's ideas on this. I applaud Alderman McIver for taking it a step further and calling out the Mayor to add some real teeth to his nice soundbite.

The Better Calgary Campaign has outlined some great ideas for Campaign Finance Reform, as follows:

1. Limits on contributions. The amount is up for debate, but $1,000 or $1,500 per donor is a good start.

2. Limits on spending. Fifty cents per resident is fair and reasonable. It allows for an effective campaign to be run, without getting into a money war.

3. Campaign surpluses given to the city, or donated to charity. Yes, if they are donated, the candidate will get a major tax receipt, but it's better than allowing them to simply keep the money.

4. Immediate disclosure of donations -- within five business days of the donation, they should be posted on the candidate's website.

5. Donations only in election years. Otherwise, incumbents can have three unfettered years of fundraising, leading to the question of whether donors are supporting a future election or rewarding current performance.

6. There should be a real estate registry highlighting all of a candidate's holdings.

This seems pretty realistic to me? While some items can be tweaked, the ideas are generally sound.

If the Mayor wants to be really "Transparent" and fair...perhaps he will do the following:

1) Follow Ald. Ric McIver's leadership and work to gets this issue dealt with.

2) Donate your $300,000 surplus to charity NOW. And start fundraising under the NEW Rules, in advance of the 2010 election.

Sorry Bronco, you cannot have it both ways.