Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Senate Campaign News 20040714 Betty Castor's campaign released her first television ad, which will start airing tomorrow in Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Tallahassee. It is 30 seconds long and a typical introductory advertisement. Real Player QuickTime Windows Media Player Text Florida Senate Campaign, Politics comment []4:25:27 PM   trackback []

AT HOME IN THE PARLIAMENT OF WHORES I spent yesterday evening at a Leon County Commission meeting to hear the debate over a "Clean Elections" proposal that was put forward by a group that called itself the "Clean Money/Clean Elections Steering Committee". The proposal sought to: Limit individual campaign contributions to $200 Ban contributions from businesses and contributions from indviduals not from Leon County Establish a system of public financing for political campaigns. Supporters of the proposal included the Executive Director of Common Cause Florida, Ben Wilcox, and the Leon County Supervisor of Elections, Ion Sancho. Opposers of it included Sheriff Larry Campbell and various small business owners who strongly objected to a part of the proposal that would have banned contributions from businesses. Individuals spoke for and against the proposal for about three and a half hours (with each speaker limited to three minutes), and the County Commissioners spent another hour or so expressing their views. Had five of the seven commisioners approved, it would have appeared on the November ballot, and would have gone in effect for the 2006 elections if sucessful. Instead, the Commission unaminously opted to establish a panel on election reform that would have represntatives appointed by the County Commission, Tallahassee City Commission, and Leon County's constitutional officers. Tallahassee Democrat's story from before and after the meeting. Politics comment []4:00:54 PM   trackback []