The Ethics Ordinance Subcommittee Chairman Officials said the only reason DuPage has a different cap is state lawmakers didn't adopt campaign finance reform until 2011 — one year after DuPage adopted its restriction.
"We had passed a separate standard here because there were no (state) regulations back when we addressed it," said board member John Curran, who serves as chairman of the ethics ordinance subcommittee. "If we knew back in 2010 what the state was going to do in 2011, we would have adopted that," he said, according to the Daily Herald article.
David Morrison from Illinois Campaign for Political Reform has weighed in on the matter on his blog, here. He Wrote:
"We had passed a separate standard here because there were no (state) regulations back when we addressed it," said board member John Curran, who serves as chairman of the ethics ordinance subcommittee. "If we knew back in 2010 what the state was going to do in 2011, we would have adopted that," he said, according to the Daily Herald article.
"Nothing could be further from the truth. Indeed, the state also has a separate law that limits giving by vendors, which was enacted in 2008 over Gov. Blagojevich’s veto. This provision went to the heart of the Blagojevich fundraising system, and the enactment of this law in October of 2008 directly sparked the “crime spree” that ended in his arrest on December 9, 2008.
The state law on vendors is the Pay-to-Play provision of the state's Procurement Code, and it prohibits vendors and bidders from giving any money to the statewide executive officer who ultimately oversees the contract. The Pay-to-Play provision in the Procurement Code is completely compatible with the limits provisions of the Election Code. They were both enacted within 13 months of each other at a very momentous time in state history. There is no conflict between the two statutes whatsoever."
Although not a member of the Ethics Committee, I brought up my concerns on August 13, 2013. From the meeting minutes:
Member Chaplin brought forth concerns regarding Section 2-475 – Political Contribution Limits. She is of the opinion that the limit of $1,000.00 per year for cumulative campaign funds is excessive and inappropriate. She recommended that amount be reduced to zero or $100.00. Member Zay commented that individuals have a right to support the candidate of their choice and there is a fine line when you attempt to reduce the contributions to zero.
You can read the full story from the Daily Herald here.
You can read David Morrison's statement here.
The minutes from the August 13 Ethics meeting can be found here.
The state law on vendors is the Pay-to-Play provision of the state's Procurement Code, and it prohibits vendors and bidders from giving any money to the statewide executive officer who ultimately oversees the contract.
Stop pay to play in DuPage County. Let your voice be heard and give public comment at our next meeting on Tuesday August 27th at 7:00 pm. The address is 421 North County Farm Road Wheaton, IL 60187. CL 60187 N. County Farm Road, Wheaton, IL 60187
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